Looking for God - May 2001 by Armenian International Magazine

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Cover Story 24 Playing God on Both Sides ol the Border

Departments

A Series olWritings Drscuss the Problems and Solutions in Northern Armenia and Southern Georgia

12 13 16

From the Editor Letters AIM View

Notebook

18 0uote Unquote 19 Birthdays and Anniversaries 20 Where Are They Now?

21 Postscript I Bytes on File Focus

22 0n

Human Rights Watch

Armenia Wins a Seat on an lmportant UN Body

AlMarketplace 31 Armenian Gifts and Collectibles Perlect lor All Occasions A Pull-0utSection

Connections 48 Saving the Youngslers 0n AGBUs Generation NextMentorship Program

50 Salt ol the Earth 58

59 60 62

Arts

52 Emerging lnlo the

Helps Patients

Sports How I Got This Shot? Underexposed Essay

Future

Connections 45 From Violence to Gooperation

New York Artists Come to the Fore Below: Chromogenic Print by Aram Jibilian.

A Year After the Bloodshed in Southern California, Students Find Answers

Cover design by Patrick Azadian photo by Tim Sttaight

Armenian lnternational Magazine Volume 12, lssue Four

lNN I $il;;i"$#$fl;;gt$ggii::,f,*f AIM MAY

2OO1

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A* Qperatic Oratorio Celebrating 1.700 Year$.

of Armenia's Conversion to Christianity performed by:

Musicians affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchesffa,, Boston Pops, The Esplanade Orchestra and Chorus Pro Musica Leon Gregorian, conducror Rouben Gregorian, composer

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featuring international opera stars:

Kallen Esperian, soprano Stella Grigorian, Mezzasoprano Gegham Gregorian, renor Tigran Martirosian, Barirone iTtre Fiiin$s,,of ,Armenian Culture Socie ty celekatis,, its S0th anniversq4y,,and,,itre nf0$th Mveisary of

Armenia's conversion to Christianiry with the world premier performance of Rouben Gregorian's realization of Komidas' Divine Liturgy. .:. ,. ..' .,ir... L.

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Irlovemb er 4, 2001

3:oo pm

5y*phon31 Hall 3S

I Massarhusetts Avenue. Bos{on, Massachugetts

1\INI Immersion Journalism

Editor-Publisher

Salpl Haroullnlan Ghazarian Senior Editor

John HuChos Art Director

Palrlct Aadlan Assisbnt to lhe Editor

Hrair Sa*is Sa*isslen Editor at Large

Prrlk ilazarlan Associate Editors

A, H. Al.randilen, YonYa[

H.lpln, London

Tony

Contributing Edilom

ilalltow lhranlan, Bonrld Gdgor Suny, T.llnr Vosl0rllchian Contrihrting Writers

Clrislophu Alemian, Ped Ghadorlian, F lil Corloy, l0lsl.n lfidd Associate Publisher

Toni

Hrair Sailis Sarkissian in iront ol Parajanov Museum, Yelevan, Armenia. Photo by Hrair Sa*is Sarkissian. Left: Parik ilazarian and Hrair Hawk Khatcheilan on the island of Akhtamar, Lake Uan, Tu*ey. Photo by Zaven Sarkissian.

Soh lfiodanlan Advertising Manager

Flmi ilolhilarlan Marteting Manager

Anahld Dol Varlanian Administalive Assislanl Ester Koshishyan lntern

Thereb a new term in the joumalism world. It's called Immenion Journalism. It's nof investigative joumalism where you tackle a subject untilyou find answers to qpecific questions, and disappear. Immersion journalism goes one step beyond by breaking intellectual and imaginative barriers. The writer actually lives in the environment about which s/he is writing and lets the subjects present themselves.

John Hughes is the preeminent example of this preference for immersion. His essays wouldn't move you as they do if he weren't actually deeply totally immersed - he would probably say soaked or drowned - in Armenia. Parik Nazarian has done the same thing. The result is an outsider catching the peculiar, telling everyday occurrences with the sensibility of the insider. Finally, Hrair Sarkis Sarkissian's first trip to Armenia resulted in a similar coup. He accompanied representatives of the Norwegian Refugee Council, themselves thoroughly submerged in improving life for Armenia's refugees and earthquake victims, on a trip that shook him up. But for those whom they visited (and who appear in the first piece of this month's cover story) their call was poignant and meaningful. Hrair visited refugees who have been living in containers for over a decade. And throughout his touching story he writes about the rooms in the container, the condition of the container, the garden around the container. And although they are the places where tens of thousands live, never once does he call them homes or houses. And as editor, I saw no reason to change that word. That would let us all offthe hook much too easily. Instead, the story in its tone and its approach, will move you to care about this issue which has slipped from respectable notice. And it does have the potential to mobilize undeniably useful attention. It is readable, up-close and vivid rather than scolding or hand-wringing from a distance. And the stories that follow t{rair's, simply complete the picture. Armineh Johannes, a photojoumalist, depicts the efforts (again by immenion) of one group of Diasporans. Vicken Cheterian, a Swis journalist, revisits Georgia which is familiar tenitory for him, and tells us that there too, everyone is waiting for Godot - or looking for God or someone - to provide solutions. If by reading Hrair, Armineh or Vicken, you decide you want to do something, Steven Anlian's crystal clear analysis and recommendations tell you how. We at AIM stand ready to help you do whatever you want to do. And we will unabashedly tell you that's when we think we'll have been successful: when

wemovevoutoaction'

/-rr* /. #*J-'fr/-^ , r_ /. AIM MAY

2OO1

I[!lldonlan

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Sona Danlolian Assistanls

ilalinc ArGhanian, Anna Gevoillafl Adverlising

l\,,lanager

Go[ar Sahalian Contributo6:

tuhrhas Emln, Y6Evr[;

SuEan

Pattis, Lordon;

Anlrl$; Jan.l Ssnu.lian, P.lm SpdnF; ilail t[sltaslr[, Rhode lsland; Gso]ge Boum0ullan, L0la lhuldaliiil, llap Yofi; i'lyrl3m Grumo, Parh; lli8Co

Edll Balrltn, Lot

KrnmenNklan, Uruouay; ttloorrd ilootadian, Washlngton, 0C Pholographers:

tlillrr lGadEtiil,

B0ub6n Manoacaila[, A.mrnia: lmimi JohmnE, FnnB; lGdn0

Zalor Xiachlldan, Ail0ira Agoudllan,

&nen,

Erlc

Lrarlan,

An Ghagan, Crlllomla; Grm Lachhlrn, ilffidiHlts; Hrry ltuundaliiar, llau Yoft 801!0 An Zoblrn, Rhods l.land. Edilor Emeritus

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wilto t0 Alttl! We welcome all communicalion. Allhough we read all letlers and submissions, wE are unable lo acknowledge everything we receive due t0 limitd shlfing and res0urces. LetleB l0 tE Editor may edited lor publicalion.

Almenian lnlornallonal Magazine Founded in 1990

Founding Editor Uarlan Oskanian Founding Publisher tlchaol ilahabol 207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA Phone 818 246

7979

Fax

818 246 0088

E-mail aimagazine@aol.com

Small Doses of Help Many thanks to you for introducing me to Armenia two years ago (AIM Destinations.) I

have just retumed from Armenia for the fourth time. Since my first visit, I have definitely noticed a general improvement in Yerevan's everyday life: streets are notice-

The Last Page Fint It was around 5:30pm, and as we were getting ready to leave the office, Arax was browsing through the pages of AIM. Then she got up to leave, handed the issue to me and said, "Have you read the story on the last page?"

I told her, that's my favorite page. Every time we receive AIM, I open the last page first to see ifJohn Hughes has another story to tell. In some strange way, I feel like I know him. Arax left and I got up, turned off the air conditioning, put the backup on, but I couldnt wait to get home to read the story especially since Arax had already commented on it. So I put my pune down and started reading the last page.

am not going to say anything more, only

that I started reading with a big smile on my face, then laughed out loud, then tears rolled down my face, then it was a mixture of laugh-

ter and crylng, then a big smile at the end. John did it again...

got up, turned the lights off to rush tell my daughter to read this

home and

issue's last page, because that's Page'

too'

her favorite Aknou^sh A.

Glendalq Caffirnia For thowands ofyearc, Armmions were coerced to change language and religion, but they suc-

cusfitlly resisted Now, lohn Hughes has countless readers of magwine reading from ight n ftom back t0 fronr. And daing so happily. this

ffi

The Editors

went on to avenge the murder of Armenians by killing the Ttrkish Prime Minister Talaat Pasha, who had given the orders for Genocide. Sam Lazarian Vancouver, BC Canada

ably cleaner, phones work much better, there are many more restaurant choices and above all, one sees less begging on the streets. Nevertheless, the question that always comes to mind is, "How can one help?" Since visiting Armenia, I've realized just how much we as individuals can do: We can sponsor the annual budget for sheet music in

Brothers in Politics I may be one of the last people to defend

a music school, for example. Or, we can sponsor the art department

on the eve of Karabakh talks in Key West,

Garni's Cultural Center (which is currently on the verge of collapse) for a mere $120 per month. This includes a piano teacher who travels from Yerevan, as well as voice and dance teachers. Or, we can share some entrepreneurial ideas with a local small business owner.

Perhaps the best we can do, however, is simply to walk around Yerevan or any other town or village. By doing so, one will immediately see how to help. Help can be in the smallest doses.

HovikAbramian Snow mass Village, C o lorado

Old Memories In your October issue, you had an item in Bytes on File about Serbian church. We left Yugoslavia at the end of 1950, with approximately 100 other Armenians and landed in a refugee camp in Tiieste. We believe another L00 or so Armenians Ieft after we departed. You mention that there are now 1200 famiIies in Yugoslavia. They must have come from Armenia after the end of Soviet Union. The only Arrnenian church that I know that existed was in the city of Hovi Sad, Yugoslavia, and it was demolished by Communists (you callthem&rbs). The Serbian Orttrodox Church objected but it did not help. The church was built a few centuries ago, but there were no Armenians in the city. After we came to Canada, I met a young Hungarian engineer (born in Yugoslavia), who told me that once a year an Armenian priest from Vienna would come to perform the service in the deserted church and he would help him. Most of the 200 (persons not families) Armenians were living in Belgrade and central Serbia and Skoplje (today's Macedonia). One of them was Soghoman Tehlirian who

AIM MAY

2OO1

an Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Dashnaktsutiun position, and yet I find myseH doing just that in response to your editorial View, "Talk is Cheap" (March 2001).

After branding "belligerent," "bellicose" and "reckless," statements issued by the ARF

Florida, and remarks by ARF Bureau member, Hrand Margarian, you ask the question, "Does this belligerence then have another motive?" In the first place, I would characterize ARF statements as "maximalist," and yet an essential component of the ongoing negotiations.

Negotiating parties have a spectrum of various domestic concerns to address, and also use those issues as bargaining chips at the negotiating table, as the Ttrrks have been doing every time the issue of normalizing diplomatic relations with Armenia is raised. The military-backed and controlled Turkish government, which can manufacture, on demand, any brand of public opinion, argues that it has to heed the public opinion in Turkey in dealing with Armenia. When Kocharian meets his negotiating partners, the latter will already be aware that he has maximalists to satisfy back home, and that any compromise will come at a price on the home front. In a compromise solution, neither side will get everything, but negotiations begin at the raw ends of demands and they are gradually honed into more realistic definitions. Was Turkish Premier Ecevit

les maximalist

when he stated that Armenia not only has usurped Karabakh, but also Zangeztx from Azerbaijan? It is no secret that although the negotia-

tors are Armenia and Azerbaijan, the key players are actually the major powers; on one

side the US and Turkey, and on the other side, Russia and Iran, with each party, in its turn, seeking very self-serving interests, in the name of stability and peace in the region. Maximalist positions notwithstanding, in the end Armenia and Azerbaijan will get whatever geo-strategic configuration the region may yield.

EdmondYAzadinn Taylor, Michigan

Ihe Fourth lVillennium Society is an independently lunded and adminislered public charity committed t0 the dissemination 0i informati0n for the purpose 0f devel0ping an informed public. tJnderpinnin0 all

]r|iminU

ourwork is the firm convlction that the vitality ol an independent pres is fundamental t0 a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millennium Society publishes Armenian lnternational Magazine in its effort to c0nkibute t0 the national dialogue. The directors are Orateful t0 the Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends 0f the Fourth lvlillennium Society who are commified to the well-being, 0rowth and devel0pment 0l Armenians and Armenia through the promoti0n of open discussion and the lree flow of inlormati0n am0ng individuals and 0rganizations. Their ,inancial c0ntributi0ns support the w0rk 0f the Fourth [/illennium S0ciety and ensure the independence ol AllV Michael Nahabet, Batfi Zinzalian, Directors

harfiirtugr

Direclors 2000 Shahen Hairapetian, Armen Hampal Zaven Khanjian, Michael Nahabet, Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian, Raffi Zinzalian

BenelaGlors Sarkis Acopian, Albert & Tove Boyajian, The Cafesjian Family Foundation, Inc. Hirair Hovnanian, The Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone

Senior Tluslees AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HONG KONG Jack Maxian USA CA Armand & Nancy Arabian, Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, Armen & Gloriat Hampar, Araxie l\4 Haroutinian, Goorge & Grace Kay, joe & Joyce Stein NY James Tufenkian Rl Papken Janjigian

Founding Truslees AUSTRALIA Varoojan lskenderian USA CA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward [,4isserlian, Bob Movelt

VaroujanNahabet,Norair0skanian,EmmyPapazian,ZarehSarkissian,RaffiZinzalian FLHagopKoushakjianPAZarouhi[/ardikian

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Oerderyan

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Friends ol AIM The Fourth Millennium Sociely is gratefui t0 the iollowing for c0ntributing during the last month l0 ensure All\rs financtal independence t SA NJ Sosie Kachikian

AIM MAY

2OO1

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WORLD WIDE WEB www.armeniadiaspora.com www.armeniaguide.com wwv.armenianloveline.com wwwchurcharmenia.com www.narek.com

www.privatization.am www.usaid.gov www.worldbank.com

Containers. Containers. Containers. Help Them Get Out Armenians are living in containers (see page 25.) They have been living in containers for a dozen years. And, although handfirls are periodically helped out of this misery there does not seem to be an end in sight for the thousands still stuck. Unless the Diaspora helps. This is the kind of complex predicament, that, il broken down to its smallest parts, is indeed surmountable and solvable. Even this catastrophe of immense proportions can have a happy ending. This is the tragedy: The earthquake of 1988 left thousands homeless in northern Armenia. The war over Karabakh, which also began in 1988, caused thousands more (who lived in various Azerbaijani cities and were harassed, persecuted, sometimes outright attacked) to flee Azerbaijan and seek refuge in Armenia. Three hundred thousand to be exact. That sudden 10 percent increase would have been tough to deal with under normal circumstances, But 13 years ago, the

situation was anything but normal. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet system, and the temporary solutions the Soviet authorities attempted became frighteningly permanent. Today, those survivors and refugees in cities and villages across northern Armenia still live in containers. Soldiers, widows, children, newlyweds, teenagers, the disabled - all live in containers. Even though the old adage says human beings can get used to anything, go ahead, repeat this sentence to yourself and see ifyou can get used to it: The Arakelians, the Khutians, the Simonians, and many. many more 'ians' live in containers. Now imagine the solution: $1700 buys a one-room apartment in Gyumri, and makes it possible for a newlywed couple to live like human beings. $2800 buys a two-room apartment in the center of Gyumri and allows parents and children to [ve under the same roof, with dignity. And, for a real life of luxury $3,500 will buy three rooms, and allow the traditional three generations to breathe the same space,

without breathing down

each otherb necks. This is immediately possible in cities where there is a surplus of housing available and it's a quicker and cheaper alternative to the

more expensive process of new housing construction. In villages, where no such altemative exists, building a house for a single person (usually elderly widows or widowers who have more than paid their dues to society and deserve a peaceful old age) costs $4,900. For three people, about $6,900. Government and international agencies have been implementing some combination of the above possibilities. But slowly. Too slowly for the high school children who have only known containers as homes, and containers as classrooms. Too slowly for grandparents who will never know the pleasures of caring for grandchildren under their roof. Too slowly for young soldiers returned from war, not to homes, but to containers. How much does your church collect every Sunday in offerings? How long will it take to accumulate the $1,700 or $4,900 it will cost to give a family a new chance at life? Is that any less important than a new paint job for the altar? What does your family spend on birthday gifts for that favorite grandson/daughter? What if you didn't do the regular clothes, games, gift certificates routine one year, and told the grandson he is receiving a miraculous gift: the right to play God and give a family a new breath of life? What are the proceeds from your ladies auxiliary lunch expected to be next month? Enough to give a family hope and a future? Finally, how serious is the Diaspora about helping Armenia? Here is a solution that is as simple as it gets: one family at a time; no overhead, no corruption. The same agencies - UNHCR, Norwegian Refugee Council, USAID - who are using their own budgeted funds to break some families out of containers and into homes, and already have the capacity, will take your donations and do the same thing for one more family. And one, two, three, four, five more Armenians will cease to live in containers. Ask us and we'll put you in touch with the organizations that do this work quickly and efficiently. Give a family a reason - and a way - to live. Do it.

Continuing Tensions in Glendale Cure the Illness, Not the Symptom The City of Glendale is still looking for ways to deal with the tensions created by ethnic diversity. As positive as the school environment seems to be a year after a fatal attack heightened fears about ArmenianHispanic tensions (see page 45) there are other cirywide problems. The decision by the Glendale City Council to lower the US flag on

April24 in memory of the Armenian victims of the 1915 Genocide created such a furor that those who voted for the lowering were targeted for a recall. The reaction demonstrated that attitudes towards Armenians are far more exclusionary intolerant and non-understanding than many thought. The extreme reactions to the flag lowering are absurd. Still, such reactions are evidence of what should have been apparent long ago. For all their economic and social contributions to the city, Armenians 16

continue to be seen as outsiders and troublemakers. Armenians are scapegoats. The prevalent processes of transformation and decay that are affecting Western societies (and US urban societies, specifically) are taking place at the same time as immigrants are more visible on the landscape. So, if life is notwhat it usedto be, andthere are manymore immigrants around" therefore, must be the cause of the deteriorating lifestyle and the aooompanying loss of values. This is not to discount the reality that some Armenians are reqponsible for a whole lot of unaooeptable behavior. Still, all Armenians need not be blamed for the loss of away of life that is caused bymyriad social, educational and economic factors. Since last year's tragedy, the Glendale City Council has approved the hiring of eight more police officers. The City is also being urged

AIM MAY

2OO1

to come up with a youth center where kids can go play sports and socialize in a safe setting after school and during the summer. These scattered. ad hoc gestures are attempts to address symptoms and not problems. Armenians must become part of the solution to the City of Glendale s problems, or they will continue to be seen as

part of the problem.

If Armenians - individually and through community organizations - become involved in citywide efforts to improve the City of Glendale for all its residents, then they will be seen as stakeholders r and not troublemakers. as insiders not outsider.

Armenia on the Human Rights Commission Moving into a Glass House As a member of the UN Human Rights Commission, Armenia will be complicit in every decision made by that body over the next three years.

Armenia's election (see page 22) means dual responsibilities: passing judgement on other countries and others' proposals, while at the same time working to improve the human rights situation at home. Domestically. Armenia's human rights policies and actions havc been uneven during this first decade of independence. That Armenia recognizes this and still seeks a position in the world'.s premier human rights body means it is prepared to monitor itself. judge itself by and strive for the highest standards. Although government policies arc often based on interests, not on ideals, human rights is the one arena where ideals must reign. After all, ideals define the realm of human rights. where laws are used to try to change man, where attempts are made to legislate decency and humanity. Armenians have been the victims of others' indifference to human life and human rights. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that by

combining experience and foresight, by building partnerships between government and civil society, between government ancl the media, with religious and academic communities, Armenia will suc-

ceed in realizing the vision of the Declaration of Human Rights. As a member of the UN Commission. Armenia will be able to see and analyze what has and has not been successful in the human rights

frenzy of the last two decades. In dreams, a poet said, begin responsibilities. Armenia achieved one dream: to ioin the international community in a major organiza-

tion, cqual with the best of modern. developed nation-states. And with this dream. comes the responsibility of enforcing and promoting the basic rights of human beings and the betterment of humankind. lnclutling those in Armerria. And Armenia did this with its eyes open. Let no one preach to Annenia about the importance and basic, simple necessity of respecting the rights of man. Let those who do the preaching also recognize that the Western world only began paying attention to such 'basic' rights, after other 'basic rights' were achieved, such as minimal social and economic security, access to education. health care and government. Armenia wiil be trying to do the two at the same time: achieve the ideal,

while working toward the practical. It deserves accolades, if

for no other reason, than because it is trying.

$lJB$[Rtpil[]t$ l[iltutHY I RI]tttlllfil llll[lll!lG

[fll 0[ llllBltl illl 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA Phone 818.246.7979

Fax: 818.246.0088

1.888.$H|[.[ffi fi ilintilUilillts@iloLmnt AIM MAY

2OO1

NOTEBOOK

(r Democracy is not instant coffee.

Democracy has always been the outcome ol gradual progress in the economic, social, political and cultural spheres. Nowhere has there been instant conversion, as there once was when countries changed their religions with their rulers. rr -Hubert Vedrine French Minister ol Foreign Affairs in Le Monde Diplomatique December 2000

(IArmenia is lorced to insure itsell against the possible deterioration ol Armenian-Turkish relations, thus placing greater demands on security. We are convinced that if over the last decade we had had good-neighborly relations with Turkey - independent ol the existence of the Nagorno Karabakh conllict - today, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict would either have been resolved, or we would have lar greater opportunities to lind a quick ro'u,,11;,l,lou*n,

tive elements. However, if Azerbaiiani officials want to isolate warmongerc, then a number ol members ol the ruling paily, as well as 70-80 per cent ol the Azerbaijani people should be put in prison, which is impossible. !t -Arif Yunusov

*,, *, *n #iltf#ii8 #ll'J,:i:l H?,:'trJi;lill aa

Armenia is our llagship product in the Gaucasus.

World Bank Represenlative in Armenia

Minister ol Foreign Atfairs, Republic of Armenia, March 2000

IIThe opposition should demand the dismissal ol

IIWe

need investment like we need air.

[Garey]

Cavanaugh from the setllement process. He is a source ol danger to them. There is no guarantee that this antidemocratic diplomat will not atfect our presidenl. lt emerges that Heydar Aliyev is a greater democrat than Garey Gavanaugh. The Armenians are even unable to withstand a

and,,,;u, ff fl,1l J[f if lHJf i]

We don't have a timely response or a credible one. You have to have a policy and there is none.

-Paul Rawkins

war waged by Azerbaijan's current worthless authorities.

Drrector

ol Government Ratings at Fitch lnternational Rating Service

ln Washington Post,on downgrading

Turkey's corporate and

currency ratings after the value of the Turkish lira plunged an additional 14 percent in April.

ln centuries past, catholicoi ol the Armenian Apostolic Church were lrequently manied (later widowed or separated) prior to

their reign? 0ften, their sons and grandsons also became catholicos. Aristakes, the son of Gregory the llluminator, the founder of the Armenian Apostolic church, became locum tenens and heir, while his grandson Grigoris became patriarch of a neighboring region. Aristakes followed Gregory as Catholicos.

Armenia had two kings named Tigran the Great? Tigran I lived 560-535 BC, Tigran ll lived g5-55 BC. During the reign of Tigran l, the kingdom ol Armenia covered 400,000 sq. kilometers, 13 times the size of today's Republic of Armenia.

Two holidays lrom the Soviet era have been reinstated since they were dropped after independence? May 1 (May Day or Workers' Day) and May 9: Commemorating World War ll: the Great Patriotic War.

Photo: An old holiday (May Day) is being celebrated by the old guard, carrying a new llag, in a new Yerevan where a cross on Bepublic Square stands where Lenin used to. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian.

AIM MAY

nance

(( We are surprised it's taking so long to get it together.

From this point ol view, it might seem logical lor ollicials in Armenia to isolate warmongers and brand them destruc-

-Owaise Saadat

2OO1

NOTEBOOK

E[anUlnU $ymhols A uick. Which of these dates do you readily recogI I n".t aprif 24. May 2ts.Novemter 29. September l|rr. coi nprit zi,;gnfl Thar was actually a freEbie. The real quiz involved the other three historic dates. May 28,1918 - the date Armenia declared independence at the end of World War I and immediately following the worst of the Genocide years; November 29,1920 - the date Armenia began the process of incorporation into the Soviet Union; September 21, l99l - the date Armenia reestablished its independence. Well, which did you recognize most easily?

If you are like most Diaspora Armenians, the answer probably will be May 28. This is largely due to the established tradition of celebrating May 28 as Armenian Independence Day for the past 80 years, if not by all Armenians, but certainly by a large chunk. And those who didn't celebrate it, were busy trying to delegitimize it as the day that brought one party

the Armenian Revolutionary Federation -

Dashnaktsutiun - into power. So, one way or another, it's remembered. Now that Armenia has a second chance at independence, the question arises: which of these two dates should become the symbol of Armenian independence? Tiaditionally, May 28 celebrations were more than a simple remembrance of the past. They were a renewal ofhope for another chance at independence. Now that independence is a reality, it is still taking some time for September 2l to take on primacy. Recent events have proven that without May 28, and even November 29,there probably would not have been a September 21. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was only the Soviet republics which

became legitimate and independent republics in their own right. The autonomous, administrative and ethnic subdivisions remained exactly that. The independent Republic of Armenia became a Soviet republic ur1920 and that Soviet republic regained independence in 1991.

Both dates relate to the same piece of land, passed from one to the other, like runners in a relay

race, who stop running after accomplishing their duty - passing the baton. -Asbed Pogharian Photo: Some

ol Armenia's residents who have seen it

all: May 28 and November 29 and September 21 and Woild War Il and the liberation ol Shushi as well. Photo by

Mkhitar Khachatilan.

AIM MAY

2OO1

NOTEBOOK

LlulnU ullth MGmonlG$

hirteen years have passed since the three bloody days when the ! Armenians of Sumgait, Azerbaijan, were the victims of mass vioI lence. The pogrom, which was meant to wipe out the city's Armenian population, resulted in the violent, sometimes burning deaths of more than 30. Thousands fled. Most survivors did not manage to bury their dead. For them, three memorial khachkars, erected for the victims of Sumgait, near the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide monument, serve as tombstones of sorts, Here, they weep and comfort each other. (There are three stones, because similar violence took place against the Armenians of Baku and Gandzak, too.) The families hardest-hit by Sumgait's modern-day massacre still occupy building No. 32 in Byureghavan, just outside Yerevan (AIM, February 1998.) The Melkumians lost five members of their family. Irina Melkumian lives alone now with her daughter Lilia who is 16,

She was three then.

"When the Azeri gangs entered the building with knives, iron rods and other weapons, we had to escape somehow. I was trying to pass Lilia

to Karine, my sister-in-laq tkough the third floor balcony when her shirt tore; we were just able to grab her in mid-air," remembers lrina. Lilia's father, uncle, aunt and grandparents were killed, some burned alive. From their hiding place, Irina and Lilia could see the smoke rising from the barely-moving bodies lying in the street. Now, pictures hanging from the 1ryalls are a constant reminder of the hoffic tragedy. Their story is documented in Samvel Shahmuratian\ The Sumgait Tragedy, and in their minds. They receive government assistance, but not enough. There is some individual assistance provided by a few Diaspora Armenians, but it's sporadic. Irina's goal is to provide a good life and future for Lilia. "There was no church in Sumgait to baptize Lilia. When she was L2, we baptized her here at the St. Sarkis Church in Yerevan. She is in the ninth grade and

wants to become a translator of English language. She is a typical teenager with her wants and needs and dreams. I want her to get a proper education and build a better future. I still dont know how I will be able to pay for her education," she said. "We dont have a working man

in the house and the aid we receive does not even come close to covering our survival expenses. In the past couple of years, many refugees have left the country mostly to Russia, some have joined their relatives in Karabakh but I wish to stay here hoping something will change." Karine, Irina's sister-in-law has three teenage children. Christina, 18, studying at Yerevan's three-year medical college and wants to become about to graduate from high school and wants to become a hairdresser. For that, he has to attend special training school for which they have to pay. "I wish I could have a job while I'm in school to support my family," he said. He is the man of the house now and wants to fulfill that responsibility. And Raya, 13, who was bom a couple of months after her father was bumt alive wants to become a journalist. She is named after her grandmother, who was also killed. Karine, too, is concerned for the future of her children and dreams of a way to provide them with a proper education and a comfortable future. "After independence, the schools are no longer free and tuition is too high for us to pay. We spent the winter without heat and electricity not being able to pay the bills. When I think about this hardship, I, too, think about leaving the country hoping we will find jobs and hope something will change for the better," Karine said. There is no organization which cares for the needs of the Sumgait survivors. Rima Avanessian and her husband are in their late 60s. They live alone. Their two sons, well-educated and in their twenties, were killed in Sumgait. She looks at their pictures, beats her knees with her fists, and mumbles, "How well they would have taken care of us in our old age. They took our future and our livelihood to the grave with them. Ufe is a day+o-daysurvival forus andwe are leftwith nothingbutpainful memories which haunt us." For many of these refugees, it is important that these acts be recognized for what they were: ethnic cleansing in the real sense, aimed at them only because they were Armenian. And they want the Azeris

a nurse. Sergei, 17, is

baijani government to be required to offer compensation for their losses. "This is a legitimate demand," they say, and "only if we had a strong advocate to pursue this."

AIM MAY

-Text and photos by Parik Nazarian 2OO1

NOTEBOOK

Uolces

Inom lhc

La[e

I t the request of Califomia Congresman Adam B. Schiff, Voica from ll,n Laie, pm one of Arrn-enian Film Foundation (AFF) and

[proaucerl

Director J. Michael Hagopian's three-part documenwas screened at the Library of Congress on May The Witnesses, tary, 16. The Congressman had been "looking forward to sharing this valuable record of history" with his colleagues in the US Congress, their staffs and the community. Congtessman Schiff is no stranger to the AFE In l999,he secured funds for the AFF while he was representing the 21st District in the California State Senate. Twenty-five years in research and production, Voices from the Lake is the first feature-length documentary film on the Armenian Genocide. (It wi[ be seen for the first time on the East Coast, in Hackensack, New Jersey, on June 15.) Focusing on the last days of Kharpert, Voices presents the accounts of those who witnessed it, among them American and European residents of the city, as well as censored reports, classffied documents and hidden diaries. The 87-year-old Hagopian, a historian by training, has been mak-

ing documentaries for over 50 years [see AIM April-May 98.] His production company, Atlantis, has prepared and distributed over 70 educational films, many of which have won awards in numerous film festivals, including the Cleveland Film Festival and the American Film Festival. Recently, Voices was the recipient of the Chris Bronze Plaque at the Columbus International Film Festival. Himself a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, Hagopian has devoted a lifetime documenting fellow survivors. His Genocide series began in 1965 with his Where Are My People. Next came Ifte Forgotten Genocide in 1976, and the State of California commissioned The Armenian Genocide in 1991 . Now that part one of his T/re Witnesses trilogy is complete, Hagopian is working on parts two and three, which, respectively, will focus on the impact of the Great Powers on the Armenian Genocide and the deportation of the Armenians from their ancestral homeland to the Syrian desert. As a young man of 18, Hagopian had scribbled in his diary that Armenia needed him. At the time he did not know how. Three quarters of a century later, that young man sits in front of that same diary a confident sniile on his face, reading those same lines, certain he will be able to give to Armenia much more than he could ever imagine. r AIM MAY

2OO1

Armenia Wins a Seat on an Important uN Body BY SALPI HAROUTINIAN GHAZABIAI.I

Wffi

fi lilx'.t}l:'i,#h}i'"'!#il

nificance of this yearly vote suddenly became

a hot topic. The US Senate repeated its chronic threat about not palng its dues. European pundits analyzed what the loss means for the US. The US even implied that one of the Europeans should relinquish its seat to allow the US back in the UN's second

most important body.

In the

absence of the US phenomenon, Armeniah surprising victory would have been more closely scrutinized. The win was surprising to observers, but Armenian officials say they worked hard to make this happen.

Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vartan Oskanian, is clearly pleased with the victory. "Besides enhancing Armenia's reputation, this is also a huge responsibility and

obligation for Armenia. We will be seated at with a cross-section of countries from around the world, trying to resolve the most basic human rights issues." the table

f, t its meeting on May 3. 2001. the UN's ll Economic and Social Council elected 14 Jlna* memDers ro rnree-year rerrns on tne Human Rights Commission. The Commision's seats are divided among the various geo-

graphic groups. Armenia belongs to the Eastern European Group which had trruo open seats. The four contenders for those two seats

were Croatia, Latvia, Azerbaijan and

Armenia. Croatia and Armenia won with 38 and 30 votes respectively. Armenia's Ambassador to the UN, Movses Abelian, was understandably pleased with the results. "We fully expected Croatia would win because they are a member of the elect-

AIM MAY 2OO-I

ing body (i.e. the Economic and Social Council of the UN) and they have great leverage. Everyone else thought Latvia would gain the second seat." But Latvia didn't. Latvia and Azerbaijan received only 24 and 14 votes respectively. A simple majority of the Economic and Social Council's 54 members is required. One ambassador, who asked to remain anonymous, explained that Armenia's victory was surprising for a number of reasons. "Armenia and Azerbaijan are still entangled in a conflict which produces prisoners of war, refugees

all sorts of human rights issues. So,

to have Armenia on a body which monitors human rights developments seemed unlikely,

but it happened." The vote proved that UN axiom principle of one country one vote. "Each country has one vote. The US or

Armenia or St. Lucia, we all have an equal vote, and that worked for us," said a junior

diplomat who had been involved in the round-the-world Yerevan-initiated campaign to secure votes. Armenia used all its leverage in various world capitals to secure the votes of non-aligned countries, as well as certain major powers. "Now, as a member of the Commission, we will be able not only to express our own government's position on so many issues including refugees, and all other aspects of human rights, but we will also be able to use our position to vote for or against other positions and views." Why go through these steps at all? Abelian explains, "Having been a member of the UN for nine years, we felt that Armenia could and should become a more active player in international forums. We believe we can contribute to the work of the Commission taking into account our transition, the establishment of statehood and democratic proceses, Armenia's membership to the Council of Europe, etc. In 1993, we couldn't have claimed this seat, that

would have been premature. But now we believe we can act from our experience and give back to the international community." This is not the first major post to which Armenia has been elected. Abelian was chairman of the UN's Budget Committee in 1998. In 1999, Armenia was elected to the executive board of UNICEE Abelian serves as its president. And, every 20 months, by rotation, Armenia serves as chairman of the UN's Eastem European Group. "These are important examples of our commitment to being an active participant in the global community. Now, as a member of UN Human Rights Commission,we canwork toward moving the global agenda forward, and through that, push our own national inter-

mission has been the establishment, elaboration and implementation of human rights standards around the world. Around that main mandate, the themes addressed by the Commission are the right to self-determination; racism; the right to developmen! the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms i., any part of the world; economic, social and cultural rights; civil and political rights, including the questions of torture and detention, disappearances and summary executions, freedom of expres-

sion, the independence

of the judiciary

Armenia, as a Commission member, will be

impunity and religious intolerance; the human rights of women, children, migrant workers, minorities and displaced persons; indigenous issues; and advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights. Armenia's willingness to take on greater

in a position to authorresolutions and to choose

responsibilities in these areas is also an impor-

tant consideration within the context of Armenia's membership in the Council of

ests, as

well."

cooperate with muntries which are not

Commission members but wish to present resolutions for the Commission's consideration.

"This is a very important lever," said an Armenian diplomat who represents Armenia in other international organizations. "With this kind of membership, we will be able to line up allies in various spheres, and our expe-

rience as victims of human rights abuses, as minorities, as a nation with a diaspora, will all come into play." The Human Rights Commission's central AIM MAY

2OO1

Europe which looks for evidence of a country's readiness to expand its responsibilities and accomplishments in the field of human

rights. It is this aspect that satisfies the Foreigr Minister. "This means, domestically we must work to have a clean record in democracy building and human rights. Extemally, this is a huge charge as we will be forced to assess the human rights records of other countries," Oskanian

says.

Gouen Stony

LooffinUIonBoil 0n Both $iiles ol tltc BonilGn -'

or those living in the villages ol northern Armenia and southern Georgia, there

ongoing search lor some mighty and all-powerful force to provide all solutions: religious, economic and political. ln northern Armenia, they also look Ior is an

', il,

t. '

southern Georgia. Georgians have, for nearly a decade, held their country together through the sheer personal lorce of their president. Today, that acute instability is making them wonder how long their salvation will be dependent on a strongman.

shelter ln Gyumri, Vanadsor, Spitak, Stepanavan, and dozens of villages, homeless-

The Armenians of Akhalkalaki are also involved in that search. They have the addi-

ness is still a category. Because, in Armenia's north, all the well-known social and economic problems are made hugely more complicated in an area still called the Earthquake Zone. The absence of good infrastructure - adequate irrigation canals,

they deal with complex strategic changes around them.

tional burden of maintaining ethnic institutions, language and traditions, even as

good roads, dependable schools, inviting churches on both sides of the border amplify the problems that already appear insurmountable. Geographic isolation leads

The lirst article takes a close-up look at how one international organization finds solutions to that most basic problem in northern Armenia: homes. The second article analyzes the housing situation in its entirety - the real ities and the pos-

to political isolation, proximity to Russia means easier emigration, unsatisfactory

sibilities. The third article portrays the ministrations ol Armenian Catholic sisters

schools and churches causes a readiness to accept new and unknown sects.

in both northern Armenia and southern Georgia, and their efforts to feed bodies and souls. Finally, the lourth article takes a bird's eye look at the Georgian politi-

Added to

this is Georgias ongoing political and economic instability which

affects not only the Armenian Republic

to its south,

but also the Armenians in

cal situation today.

AIM MAY

2OO1

Gouen Stony

PlaylnUGoil Witlt a BudUct BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAN

oday, the final decision will be made regarding which 25 of the 43 Armenian families who have been displaced from their homes in Azerbaijan's Vardashen village -now Ozul-will receive new homes. The Norwegian Retugee C-ouncil (NRC) will build thase homes to replace the dilapidated containers these families have been housed in for 12 yean. On this beautiful, sunny, clear day, with Ararat on one side of the road, and Aragats on the other, four members of the Yerevan NRC staff, and their driver head to Ptghavan, a small village three and a half hours from

Yerevan, near the Georgian border. Population: 1 ,M5 of whom 672 are refugees from Vardashen.

Before the Karabakh conflict, Ptghavan's

names. The decision-making process is largely completed, and L9 families have been identified. But there are still some questions regarding the

population had been 80 percent Azeri. Tim Straight is Nonray's Honorary C.onsul

other six famiiies on the list.

in Armenia and the Resident Representative of the NRC. On the road, he goes ovel one more time, the names of the 43 families to determine which will and which will not receive new homes. Togetherwith Gayane Zakarian, Project Coordinator of Community Work and Armen kraelian, Project Coordinator of Construction, they have discussed and rediscussed these

decisions are confirmed by his staff, and the six families are discussed. The determinations have been made in cooperation with Armenia's Department of Migration and Refugees, the

AIM MAY

2OO1

As Straight goes down the list, former

local municipality, and the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). The Matinians, a family of flve, have been living in their trailer for 12 yean. The wife is a

Goven $tony

refugee, but the husband is not. In addition, their trailer does not show as much water damage asthe othen andis,in comparison,inmuch better shape. Would the limited funds be better spent on a family living in worse conditions? The Khudian family was registered as two families: the mother as one, and the son and his wife and three daughters as another. They have been living on one lot and have moved the motherb containeronto thatlot. NRCwants to find out whether they want to receive one larger house for all six, or two smaller houses. There is another son who has been living in Russia for the past year and a half, but the

NRC cannot build homes for, or consider someone part of the family if the person is not currently living in these containers, as refugee. This also has to be clarified. The Abramov family has a similar problem. There are six of them currently in one

container, but the mother claims that her daughter has separated from her husband and has moved in with them, along with the granddaughter. This needs to be clarified in order to know what size home to build - for a family of six, or eight. Are there legal separation papers? Are they just telling a story in order to receive a larger house?

The decisions are extremely dfficult,

inable conditions, in containers with water

although the criteria are clear. According to the mandates of the project, several criteria have to be satisfied. The family, or at least one of its memben, must have, or have had, refugee status from Azerbaijan. They also have to be the legal owners of their parcel of land and their container. Only those family members actually present and living on that land, in that container, can be counted. And finally, the condition of the container has to be fairly bad, to qualiff. "The refugees are still suffering according

leakage on every wall, destroyed floors, seven

to the United Nations Development Project reports. They still lack the social network the Iocals have. They don't have roots either," says Straight. "But we don't aim to raise the standard of living among the refugees to a higher level than that of the community in the village. Doing so can create friction between the refugees and the non-refugees," he adds. "It is very difficult to make these decisions," says Straight. "We are basically playing God, saying you get a house and you dont, even though we know every family deserves one. Unfortunately, $150,m0 is the budget we have for this particular project, with which we can only build approximately 25 homes," he adds. Some families have been living in unimag-

AIM MAY

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in one room large enough to hold only a couple of beds. The walls freeze in the winter, and the summer heat is unbearable. These are the easier ones to decide on. "But how do you decide whether an old couple with bad health should have priority over a younger family with three little kids?" asks Straight. Both families meet the criteria, but the budget won't stretch to both. This is not the fust time the NRC is faced with such daunting choices. This housing conmembers

struction and rehabilitation project in Ptghavan is only their latest project. Since it arrived in Armenia in 1996, the NRC has rehabilitated

and constructed over 50 schools, provided water, irrigafion and sewage systems in more than 25 villages, and built single family homes for more than 300 refugee families, many times in cooperation with LINHCR. NRC has also had a human rights education program since 198. Pholos, previous page: One

0l the better-kept

Gontainers in Ptghavan. Above, left to right: Ptghavan Mayor Ralik 0hanian, Gayane Zakarian and Tim Straight. 0pposite Page: Straight speaking to villagerc.

Gouen Stony

Altogether, by the end of this year, they will have spent about US $ minion, Straight estimates.

And, they are accustomed to the highs and lows of this process. Once in the village, immaculately dressed children, on their way home from school, approach the large, white, foreigtvehicle going through their village. They have seen these people before and know what is going on.

"They are here to give us homes," says Garine,8, who wants to become a doctor. Shaight and his staff go on to the office of the mayor, Rafik Ohanian, himseH a refugee. They say he has been the easiest mayor to work with and the most trustworthy and straighfforward. They point to the fact that although the mayor's brother's family is among the refugees

still living in a container, Ohanian has not resorted to nepotism to help them. The mayor's office is a wooden structure with two rooms, and a small kitchen. Some villagers have already gathered there, waiting for the Norwegian team. Socrat, a 72-year-old man who lives alone, is among them, smiling. He already knows the names of the NRC staff. He's waiting, as they all are, to glean something ofthe final decisions. "Anything concrete?" asks a young woman,

holding her infant boy, named Ararat, who has chronic respiratory problems. The names will not be announced for another week, until all parties agree on all the families. But still, the villagers try to learn something. In vain. Once the meeting with the mayor is over, and the issue of the problem families is discussed, an even larger group - about 10 people, including the mayor, his driver, and a few men whose roles are not yet clear - head towards the main dirt road. Refugee containers are lined up on both sides. On the way, two secluded containers, which are completely rusted but still house families of four and flve, are passed up. "These are the two worst ones," says Straight. No need to revisit them. They are already on the 'yes'list. Once the vehicles pull onto the main dirt road, villagen begin to emerge from their containen. Within seconds, dozens of women and children, and a fewelderlymen, are everywhere. Some are smiling some are nervous, and one elderly woman, who had argued with her brother and was thrown out of the house, is angry. "Come, come see where I live. Come see how I live," she yells abrupfly at the visiton. The mayorties to explain to herthat they have seen her house, and that it's on the list already,but she

AIM MAY

2OO1

does notseem to hear and continues to shout.

The role of the men accompanying the mayor now becomes clearer. They pull the woman aside and respectfully ask her not to cause problems. They tell her again that she is

on the list and, in a week, she'll find out whether she gets a real house or not. She walks away, still in a rage, stjll repeating her words. The first container is the Matinians'. is the one with the least damage, and well-kept, with a new roof and immaculate. There are two small bedrooms. The parents sleep on a twin-size bed in one, and the three children in the other - the two girls in one twin-size bed, and the son, in the other. "I'm the only one with my own bed," boasts Vanik, age L0, while his sisteq Arusiak, 9, hurries to

Thein

tidy up the watercoloring material on

the

small table in their bedroom. NRC wants to make sure that the father still lives there, but finds he has gone somewhere for the day. The next container is in ttre worst pcsible shape. A family of fow lives in two rooms: one very small room is the main room - calling it a living room would be a stetch - and a much smaller room is used as a bedroom. The NRC had heard that the wife and the 17-yearold daughter had moved to a nearby village, and the husband

SoYen Stony

had stayed behind. Theirson isin the army. Straight and his colleagues want to inves-

tigate the situation before making a decision. On this day, the wife and daughter are back, as the staffpredicted they would be. The container's inside walls all show heavy water damage, the space smells of dampness and mold, and most of the wooden floor has disintegrated, and cannot be walked on. The wife talks, while the husband sits, almost in tears, on the only piece of furniture, a bed. She explains that her husband is mentally ill, and getting worse. She had been taking care of him, but when her mother, who had been living in a nearby village, became very ill, she was forced to move in order to care for her. She took her daughter along, and the daughter now attends school in that village. Her mother has since died, but she is waiting for her daughter to complete the school year, before returning home next month. The husband is still silent, but visibly ready to burst into tears. He stands up and asks permission to address Straight. He walks a few steps and shows him the bedroom, and an area that is meant to be the kitchen - both unlivable. He says, it is not possible for the family to reunite under such conditions. Sfraight asks the worum if she can keep a secret "Yes," she nods. He explains that it is very important that she does not share this information with anyone. She promises. He tells them that they will have a house built for them so the family can reunite. Gayane, interprets for Shaight, with tean running down her cheeks.

The wife is most gratetrl, but the husband does not seem to understand He continues to talk about the miserable conditions, while the wife hushes him trying to explain that they will receive a home. The group heads out ofthe container, not a dry eye among thern Aida, who had not been in her container during NRC's last visit, is now back, at Ieast on this day. She is dressed, as if going to a wedding party, with full make-up, hair done,

and speaks only Russian. She looks completely out of place among the other villagers. Her house is obviously not being

lived

in, since it is mostly empty, and her garden

not fully cultivated. She claims that her brother's house is a bit nicer and she has been

living there, but would like to return when she receives a home. The staff is suspicious and would like to discuss this case further with the mayor. Satenik Khudian is the mother who wants

her own house, and wants her son and his family to live in a separate house. She is planning ahead. She explains that her other son, who is now in Russia, working, will retum

their garden, past the pig, past the chickens, past the guard dog, to visit another house. Walking towards the last house to be visited, Straight explains, "This one is the most problematic." A family of seven have 'purchased' this container from relatives, but have no paperwork to prove the transaction. "We cannot build a house on property not belonging to those who reside there,o' Straight says. Further, the husband, who lives there with his wife, three children, and his parents, seems to be the most unpopular person in the village. Cunently, he is in jail for getting drunk and beating his 33-year-old wife, who looks more than a dozen years older. This family has also been displaced from Karabakh, and not Azerbeijan, which complicates things frrrther,

since they are considered Internally

Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the case may end up being a politically sensitive one, which the NRC is cautious about. "The fact that the husband drinks and the neighbors, including llina Arakelian serying dolmas t0 the l{BC team. Photo by Hrair Sarkis Sarkissian

with money, and get married. o'I cannot have two daughters-in-law living in one house. It is not possible," she explains. Even after hearing that the house she will receive will only be big enough for her since her son is not living there now, she still wants her own house. NRC would prefer to build one larger house, which would cost less and leave money to be used elsewhere. But they are registered as two families, and they will get what they want. Lena Abramov still has no proof that her daughter has separated and will come to live with her. And the daughter and granddaughter are not there. She is told to get the papers in order within the next two weeks, before NRC starts to bid the project out to a construction crew. Otherwise her house will be built for six only, and not eight. The Arakelians are an elderly couple whose four children are in Russia. Feisty 72year-old Ivan and his wife, Nina, have built a large addition to their container, and have one of the most extensive gardens in the village. The question is whether they want to move the container and have the new house attached to the existing addition, or keep the container where it is and destroy part of the garden to build the house. Surprisingly, they decide to destroy the garden. "I'll plant new vines and they will be up and going by next year," says Ivan, laughing. "The house is the most important thing for us," he repeats several times. Problem solved. Next, the group goes through AIM MAY

2OO1

the mayor, do not want them around has nothing to do with our decision," says Straight. The container holds four beds. The rest of the family sleeps on the floor. The

story seems a bit inconsistent and the staff is frustrated. Minutes later, one of the staff memben walks in and verifies that it is true, having been told the same story by the kids, outside the container. They are satisfied, but ask the family to get their papers in order within the next two weeks.

Walking back through the Arakelian yard, the group is surprised by a table set for them, with two jugs of homemade wine, flsh, cheese, pickles, dolma and vegetables. They are already late but know would be extremely disrespectful not to accept this

invitation.

As the

group sits down, Ivan

notices that the table is too small and repri-

mands his wife for setting a table "not big enough." Within seconds, another table appears and is joined to the existing one. During the next hour, Ivan manages to tell his story of how he ended up with a Russian wife. "No, not 40," he corrects the mayor, "It was 45 years ago. I opened my eyes and she stole my life," he laughs. He is offended when asked whether their children help them out. "Of course they do. We are their parents," he responds matter-of-facfly. Everyone sits around, talking, eating, and toasting - only with full glasses. Just as it wasn't clear where the table, or its contents came from, it's also not clear how this family has managed to continue to live in their container with a sense of joy. But they do. And when they reoeive a home, sometime this year, therewillsimplybe more joyto go around.r

-t 1

d;.r titr'l

A New Strategy for Armenia's Earthquake Zone BY STEVEN J, ANLIAN

tlo?t,tr ,-eurs lulcr, llrc urett ltit Ltt' the t988 trantor i.v ,vtil! culled tfu EurthqtLuke Zone. '['lu, pntccss ol'utnrtt'rtittg tltut ureu to u

Reatvery httu: uppaurs rluLrttlittg.

r9t18

eJ'lbrt, thc

tmlcr u Wrtrltl []utrk .sLtpporrtrl

Urbtut ltrtitrttt', u Wushitrgtotr. D(l-

hased thinli lunk llxrttittg ort Ltrltutr issut's, prcposcd uppntuLlta,t to .slttlter rtttr''crt' ltused on the pravulattt tlerttogrupltit uttd tcottrtntit: dyncmic.s. Artrteniu's uttthoritit.v ittttrporutcd. these recctnttttettdutiort.: into thc " ['rittrity Progrunt for Rehubilitutiotr o.f tlta Di.tuslar Zone" udoptetl in itiLtvcnrber r<198.'flrc vtriett of problents ttre tlissected herc aul prc' santetl v'ith a set o.t ulternutive soluLittns.

Inheriting the Legacy of the Soviet Plan The plan for shelter recovery unlblclecl ch.rling

the very hours following

the

Dcccmber 7. 1988 earthquake in then Soviet Anncnia. Fundamental decisions made about tcrnporary t:mergency sheltcr after the earth-

quakc woulcl influence long-term housing rccovcry. ancl explain some ol the conditions we scc toclay. 'l'ents. shippecl in primarilv fiorn Russia. wcre placecl aronncl tl.re damagccl ancl collapsecl builclings. as opposed to thc stanclarcl practicc of cstablishing staging areas clutsicle the tlamagcd citv centers. 'fhe result toda-v is that most ol thc rernaining

tenrporarilv housccl clisplacccl l'amiIies. rnost11: lil,ino in modiliccl shipping conlaincrs ancl

eftblts. show little sisns of bcing ablc to hcll-r themselves out of this rut

other prefabricatetl units callccl rlolrlc.i arc located irr their uriginal ncishborhoocls o1'thc olcler city quarters. Pcrhaps. most significant in clclernrinins the course of Armenia's shcltcr rccovcn,rvas a clecision by Moscow in thc clavs lirllorving

the earthquake, that reconstruction cllbrls would be focused in nelv citv districts 1o be built frorn scratch. and that the old cilr' ccntr'rs wrrultl nol lilke prioritr. While great progrcss rvas made cluring the imrnediatc pcriod lollou,ing the earthquake whcrc ovcr 50 thousancl housing units were clcliverecl. steam cluicklv ran out by late 1991. antl u,ith nlost cl1'the Soviet lepublics declaring inclcpcnclcncc. even before the official clissolution. nrost o1'thc workers packed up and returnecl to the ir home countries. leaving behincl thcnr thc crancs ancl construction materials and unlinishccl building prolccts. While a sensc ol' conr.nurrity has bcen sustained over thc vcars, a suhcullurc o1'victimization has evolvccl. The segn.rent o1'1ho population rcntaining in domics ancl other temporaly shcltcrs. those who had not been tbrtunatc cnough ttt get housing during the hrst wave ol assistancc or somehow through their own resource s ancl AiIVI MAY 200I

Reality: The Situation Today Housing tenure and domic use hacl bccome confusecl ovcr the 1,ears. Some domics were no longcr usecl as shelter, convertecl to garages or stolagc. or used to suppofi small businesses. a shoernakcr or shop. Other domics had metamoryrhosccl to thc clegree that they were dillicult to clistinguish lion.r permanent structures. although their houscholds rcmained on u'ait-

ing lists ancl cligiblc lirr humanitarian

assis-

tancc. Many clomics had changecl htrnds. either filnnally through leassignrnent bt' the cit.v

authorities, rlr ollen. inlirrmallv throuqh a "gray market" cxchang,c. ln a rvorcl^ the situation lvas and renrains convolutccl. llrther complicated clver the yeals bv nraturing households and cxtcntlctl lrrtttili.'.. lndepcnclent Armenia had. Iirr thc most part. sta-ved the course ol lhc Sovict rccovery plan. Because of limited resourccs. completion of unhnished buildings in the rnost complcted districts had been the primary lbcus oI thc government and donors in post-Sclvict vears. In the original citl,quarters. most clamaged buildings. stancling iclle iind unoccupied,

ancl programmed

for reinlorcement

and

rehabilitation. hacl remained untouched. 2t)

Gouen $tony

Housing Alternatives

And there is fnsion of funds right into the local

relieving human suffering.

Costs of the various alternatives for housing today's terms are remarkably varied.

economy.

New Construction: The range for new housing in multi-unit buildings for an aver-

Action Plan

Renovation: In small towns and villages, where the majority of the families on the housing waiting list are still occupying the same single family lot as before the earth-

age family runs from just under $12,000 to almost $18,000. To meet the remaining need by new construction alone would cost about a half billion US dollars. Shengthening of Buildings In repairing damaged buildings and renovating them for re-oocupancy, the range based on actual proj-

ects underway translates to about $6,000per aparhrent, or about haHthe cost of new construction. The apartnrents that are retumed are about the same as before, only safer from a seismic penpective. Over 5,000 housing units could be brought on line in Gyumri alone by strenghening and restoring these buildings, most in preferred locations. $8,700

Fhishing Incomplete Buildingsi

The

inoe-

mental costs for completing buildings under a World Bank credit (that's incremental, assum-

ing no cost for what was already built) was about $6,000 per unit in 1995. But, it should be noted that many of the best buildings, that is, the buildings with the least amount to finish, have already been completed, and so the costs to complete the remaining choices are expected to be higher. And, of course, by definition,

the unfinished buildings are mostly in the wrongplaces, in the remote new districts, not in the original city quaden where people show a preference to live. Populating these outskirts also adds inordinate costs for city management because of their distance from schools, hospitals and other public services. Ready, Available Housing: Such housing from the marketplace is clearly lowest in terms of mst. Based on the Housing Certificate Pilot Program in Gyumd, being funded by the

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Govemment of Armenia, the cost per family sheltered is running only about $3,300. The Pilot Program offers housing certificates, or vouchers, which allow beneficiaries to search for and find housing for sale in the open market. The vouchers are valued based on the number of rooms for which families qualify for compensation. Over a one-year period, more than 300 vouchers were issued on a particular site in Gyumri with most families finding housing, obtaining title and moving in within four months. And since the certificates are issued geographically, there are visible signs of recovery as families, site by site, relocate to permanent housing and their domics vanish once and for all. Basically, with

vouchers, surplus housing is being absorbed fint, before starting new costly construction.

In identifying potential roles for a govemment or donor, the options to consider for shelter assistance can be summarized as follows:

Housing Certificates: As long as this remains a viable option based on housing supply and market values, participation in the certificate program is an athactive option for both large and small donon. Even an individual person can contribute as little as $U00 and sponsor a housing certiflcate for a needy family or "adopt a site" or "liberate" a public building occupied by displaced families. The procedures have been developed and refined through the USAID Pilot Program with local banls serving as financial intermediaries monitored by an auditor in a very transparent process. Funds may be donated direcfly tkough a bank wire transfer to the special restricted account set-up is much simpler than construction projects.

for the beneficiary family. This Reinforcement

Damaged Buildings:

Donor organizations may want to consider supporting the government's efforts to strengthen and restore damaged buildings. A USAID funded international team of seismic

engineers concluded that reinforcement of damaged buildings is indeed a viable option and that Armenian engineen and builders have demonstrated their abilities to meet international seismic design standards. The average building containing 40 apartments would require about $300,000. Restoring these damaged buildings brings added value. Firstly, they are in the prime city locations, so their restoration brings with it broader neighborhood revitalization momentum and will increase real estate values in the surrounding area, a desirable objective in achieving broader economic stability. This "value added" cannot be measured in looking at strengthening costs alone. Secondly, these buildings already exist and the option of demolishing them and removing the debris also bears a cost, which doesn't produce any housing. Thirdly, certificates, the lowest cost solution today, cannot alone solve the shelter needs. Reinforcemen8 and certificates should work in tandem. Asrealestatevalues are enhanced and residential market prices approach strengthening costs on a unit for unit basis, then reinforcements become even more viable. These flrst two alternatives, housing certificates and building reinforcements, taken together, may in the end, prove to address the majority of critical shelter needs in terms of

AIM MAY

2OO1

quake, relocation is not the best solution. To address these needs, USAID will be

piloting a new "home improvement grant" program to permit these families to remain on their ancestral plot of turf, only in improved shelter conditions through renovations. New Construction: New construction, while expensive, may have its applications. In the smaller town of Spitak, for example, there may not be a large enough local housing market for certificates to satisfy the shelter needs, not enough sellers to connect with our certificate holders, the buyers. Virtually all the salvageable buildings have already been reinforced and put back into use. So there are no reinforcement opportunities. Much of the old city was indeed destroyed. So, limited new construction may be desirable to both add supply and to provide the visible signs of recovery. But, even here, one must take a long hard look at the costs of various options. Public investment must be managed very prudently, whether supported by the govemment budget or by donors, for new construction projects as long as the large differences in costs between market values versus construction costs persists. As the economy and market conditions improve, the local private sector, if encouraged by public-private partnership incentives, will step in as well.

Completing unfinished buildings: It should not be fficult to locate sundrychoices of unfinished construction to choose from in Gyumri and Vanadzor if that is the preference. However, buildings should only be selected which are in areas that are close to existing public facilities and services, with access to public transportation and schools, and of course with immediate access to infrastructure, water, sewerand electricservice at aminimum. There is quite a menu of shelter recovery activities to choose from and something for everyone to consider. If donors define respec-

tive roles, coordinate activities, avoid duplication, and collaborate, then before long, the former "DisasterZnne",akeady, from this day forward the "Recovery Znte", very shortly thereafter, will simply be knovun again as Spitak and Vanadzor and Stepanavan and Gyumri and other memorable living places. r Anlian manages the Urban lnstitute's regional office in Yerevan and serves as Program Manager lor USAID's

0ngoing technical assistance efforts in shelter recovery in the earthquake zone.

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Meticulously handcrafted of clay in traditional Armenian style. Will give your coflee a velvety old world flavor. $20.00

This pair of clay dispensers, resembling Karabakh's symbolic grandmother and grandfather, are hand made. No two are exactly alike. $20.00

Tnaditional $alt llispensen & Gandleholden Also handcrafted in clay, comes with a hand carved spoon used to scoop salt out ol the goddess's belly. $14.00

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unity of nature and mankind while using elements of Armenian culture. He has produced more than three thousand artworks including paintings, graphics, and theatre design. They all display te artist's devoltion to age-old Armenian traditions and an ideological zest

for life.

Above, left to right. Fainy lale. t go+

The lfing and His llaughten Fainy lale. rgo+ By Martiros Sarian Custom Framed Postcards Frame size

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Gno$s Pendant

Hung lrom an 18" suede cord, this stylish 2 3/4" bronze cross is made in Armenia. Embellished with beautiful, varying colored stones. Each cross comes in its own hand made

wooden box. $15.00

lilall ol $ilence The Unspoken Fate of the Armenians

Musical Belics ol Anmenia

Produced and directed by Dorothee Forma

Voice of

Hayrik Moutadian

Dedicated to the 1700th Anniversary

An unprecedented documentary on the

of the proclamation of Christianity as

Armenian Genocide. The film presents the

the national religion of Armenia

lives and scholarship ol two historians-

Music presented from various

Turkish Scholar Taner Akgam and Armenian professor Vahakn Dadrian. "Turkey

genres that give an idea of urban

musical life and the historical

never become a democracy if it does

events ol those times. Hayrik

face ils history," says Akqam, "We have research violence in our past in order to

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are not guilty, but they have a responsibility

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emanate {rom the life ol ordinary people, their

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Gouen $tony

fispBltslnUlouc&]|oIB Sisters of Immaculate Conception Live by Charity in Armenia's TEXT

& PHOTOS

North

BY ARMI].IEH JOHANNES

he day starts early at the summer camp

and first aid, history of religion, catechism.

runs the camps.

of Our Lady of

Eight nuns from Our Lady of Armenia Convent, based in Gyurnri and Thshir in northern Armenia, and Heshtia, Georgia,

ltl997, Alliance Armenienne, an organization in Geneva, donated seven hectares of land with f,ve buildings in Tsaghkatsor, across from the Armenian Monastery of Kecharis, to Ourladyof Armenia Convent. TWo German humanitarian organizations - Renovabis and financed the renovations of Kirche-In-Not

Armenia. Morning

prayers at 7:30; then the sound of 170 children singing Armenia's national anthem echoes through Tsaghkatsor. Known as the valley of flowers, the vacation resort of Tsaghkatsor, 40 miles north of Yerevan, is home to the camp organized by the Mission of the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. (These sisters, linked directly to Rome, also run Armenian schools

around the world, including Beirut, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston.) After morning exercise in the yard, children have breakfast then head to their classes: singing, dancing, music, health education

have served the Armenian Catholic population in those areas since1991.

"In

1992, after Armenia's Council of

Religlous Affairs approved our credentials, we started teaching catechism in schools in Arevik, Panik, Lanjik and Sepasar villages. We trained two teachers who teach catechism to children in Arevik and Lanchik. We also prepare children for baptism, confession, and communion. At the camp, we try to prepare girls and boys to form choirs in their villages," says Sister Arousiag Sajonian who

the buildings. Daily board and lodging for every child at camp costs an average of $6, and is provided by Alliance Armenienne.

Altogether 600 olphaned or needy children from Gyumri and surrounding villages, Photo, below: Sister Arousiag Sajonian heads the nuns' activities in and lot Gyumri.

Couen Stony

as well as Spitak, southem Georgia, and a few from Yerevan, spend part of their summers at the camp. For three weeks, their

world is totally transformed. They look join in boisterous sports competitions, sing and dance in the evenings, study and

happy,

pray.

"I am very happy to be here; I enjoy every minute of my stay. Also here, I can eat eggs and meat every day as back home we cannot

afford to buy expensive foodstuff very often," says one of the campers. This year Voski, Lucine and Karine, three mentally disabled girls who stay with Mother Theresa's Sisters in Spitak, are invited to attend the camp. In the evenings, when all the children perform in front of an audience, singing dancing, reciting poetry and playing games, they let Voski, Lucin, and Karine win; despite their young age, they understand that their kind gestue brings immense joy and happiness to these girls. Everyone is busy here. While Sister Haguinte is teaching, Sister Madeleine is busy cooking, Sister Ani is washing dishes, Sister Arousiag is sorting out donated clothing, organizing and supervising camp activi-

ties. Children also participate in daily tasks, serving food in the dining room, helping with the dishes, cleaning their rooms and the chapel, or raising the national flag. Eager to leam and to find answers to their questions, they gather around Sister Arousiag. "The work we do during the few weeks in these camps is probably as important as what we do all through the year," she says. Besides catechism, sports, and dancing, the camp also teaches the children about life. Whenever Sister Arousiag finds a moment she gives advice. "You are now L4 or 15, and in a few years, you will want to get married.

But you must be very careful when choosing

your husbands. See that the boy is a good person, that he is not a drunkard. If he's from Russia and has made a little fortune there, make sure that he does not have anotherwife there also. and that once you're married, he will take you with him back to Russia. Make sure that he will not leave you here with inlaws so that you serve them like slaves - you must refuse to become slaves. Dont feel obliged to get married just for the sake of it." Children, delighted to hear these words, giggle at times, but listen attentively. Nobody

has ever talked to them like this before.

"Due to the poor social conditions in Armenia, we have a new type of orphan - de facto orphans or social orphans. Most of the time their fathers go to seek work in Russia and never contact their families here. Later they learn that he has married again there and has a new family. It is very sad for children to know that they have fathers, but at the same time they don't," Sister Arousiag says. "The number of social orphans is constantly increasing in Armenia, especially in the cities. In the early years after independence, people used to sell various objects from their homes for some income, but today they have nothing left to sell; they are actually impoverished. "During 70 years of communism, and now because of poor social conditions, Armenians have been gradually losing the faith of their forefathers. A nation is based on its family values and we are losing these values. With the help of the Church, we Photo, below: Children attending a candlelight service in the chapel. 600 orphaned and needy children spend three weeks al a summel Gamp where they learn to sing, dance, play sports.

Goven Stony

have to reestablish the original Armenian and Christian values. Religious leaders must encourage people to endure with the hope that things will get better," she observes. Maria Galustian, a 41-year-old mother of five, works as a housekeeper at the camp. "I

played the violin

in the Gyumri

State

Orchestra before the earthquake. Seven years ago. my l.rusband, who was an alcoholic, letl

us for Russia and never returned; he has remarried and has chilclren there. "I met Sister Arousiag four years ago, when I was feeling really desperate. She brought hope and light into my tife. Seeing the patience, the kindness, the honesty and sacrifice of these Sisters changed my wholc outlook on life. I want my daughters to become Sister Arousiags and my sons to become Father Nichans and Father Mikaels. I want my children to serve their people, like these Sisters do with such dedication. This is whal life is all about." Almost in tears, Maria goes on. "Sister Arousiag has saved my family. She came into my life when I felt totally hopeless. helped us with rnoney, clothes, food, gas. I can easily talk to her when I have problems, as if she

llii

'1r

: F,

were my mother. She guides me, her smile calms me down and gives me the strength to continue. God bless her." When surnmer ends. their work doesnl.

September 1998,

the Our Lady of

Boghossian Educational Center Gyumri. The center, which was built with a donation from the Robert Boghossian and Son Fund, serves both as a convent and a boarding school for girls aspiring to become nuns and for those who have no family. Orphans who live with some family rnember arrive tbr breaktast then leave for school. returning again for lunch, them come to the Sisters for help with their homework. They also attend daily religion classes at the Center. They return home after dinner. The Center also provides extra-curicular and educational activities: Sister Arousiag teaches English, Sister Ani teaches embroidery, Sister Tatevik takes care of the small

Armenia

was established in

ones and Sister Madeleine provides catechism classes. There are also computer lessons and

Russian language tutoring.

sored

A program

by the French Ministry of

sponForeign

AfTairs brings retired teachers to the Center

for three months as volunteers,

teaching

French language and culture to the children. Presently 54 youngsters aged seven to 20

benefit from the educational center. The annual budget per child is $1,000, and a further $30,000 a year is required to maintain, heat and manage the building. So far, donations have covered the necessary expenses. "We had to register our orphanage with the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Council of Religious Affairs said we can not

accept non-Catholic children. However, I cannot tell an orphan that 'because you are not Catholic, I cannot accept you'. that would be real discrimination. After much discussion,

I managed to convince the Council that I will accept all children here, whether Catholic or not, with the consent of the parent or the legal guardian." says Sister Arousiag. Sister Arousiag does a Iot ol convincing. About three years ago, she learned of a businessman's plans to build a casino next to the Center. Determined to stop it, she persuaded Photos, below: Sister Haguinte teaching religi0n lo campers. The camp is not exclusive lo Catholic childlen and welcomes children ol any laith.

Goven $tony

MmiltxmE-Thgne$a'$

il$ m*

mffix

ffi

*u,

Live and Work with the Children of Spitak BY ARMINEH JOHANNES

othel Theresa passcd awav lirur vcars ago. hrrl her Sistcrs ol Charitv continuc hcr u,ork arountl the rvorlcl. inclucling thc ('lS. and Armenra. After thc carthquakc ol' i988 in norlhern Armenia" Mother Thcresa ancl lbur nuns arrivecl in Arnetria to take care of thc poor and hclp sick chilclrcn in hospitals. Six monlhs altcr

teacher rvho comes to teach them." siils Sister.kxe Anne. Throughout the fomrcr Sor,iet Uniur. har.rng childrcn ilith mental clixrbilities wrs cirnsidered sliiurelul. Individuirls with mental or even phr,siurl problems - "unproductive" individuaLs - were considercd ueles trnd lirnilies easilv abaldonecl thenr to imtitutions and rarelv visited flrem. In urntrerst to those att itucles. the

their arrival. the.v scttlcd in Spitak arnons thc hundreds of iclentical white prclabticatecl houses. rvhich stand oLtl undcr a blue skv l'hcse houses wcre proviclcrrl by the ltalians as aid to car.thcluake survivors. "lhc conrmunitv chose to corlc to SpitlLk Lrueuuse it was thc poorest of the poor. and because Spitak. trcing the elticcn(cr of thc carthcluake, was totally destroyctl and needctl lte\t despclirte lri Here rvc opcncd a ccntcr lirr retardccl chilciren." savs Mother SLrltrior-.lose-Anne Tbdatr thc corlrnunity hzrs six Sisters, ol u,horn firr-rr calc tilr 3{) mentallv retardctl pcrsons. Agcd seven r.r-rtxrths 1o 40 years'"r'ho havc conre from various parts ol Arrncnia. "Our centcl is not a state institution. It is likc a hor.ne. [tclu*- childre n bccirme part ol our-larnily;.le play tvith thcnt. crxrk lirr 1hcm. lcccl. dres ancl

Mother Thcresa's Sislen has brought lircis ul'these abandoned children. "Here. all children are baptized and receive cornmunion evc.n Sunclav rvhen priests come from Gy.Lrmri to celebrate nrass at our chapel hcrc. \\''e encourage the non-Catholic children to go to their own church in Spitak", said Mothcr Josc Anne. Thc Sisle rs also visit thc ncarbl, villages to idenlify the poor ancl bring mcdical and lbod assistance to thcm. One ttl the Sistcrs. a fbrmer uurse. sorts out and distributes rncclicinc t() those whcl nced them. "Wc qir,e crtrnpleteh, ll'ee senicc to the poorest o1'the poor: We cven go to hospitals. when necessat'r,. to beg them not to charge their poor patie nts." says Molher Jose-Annc. It is hard 1cl argue rvith these \\'omen u,ltr live what thcy r

bathe thern: thcr c arc no special sclxxrls {iu' r etiurlecl chilch'cn. br.rt lve havc a

pl'csinLre. kindness and genermit_,,. of

srrtilcs to the

preach.

ffiffiffi

ffiil[[ .fu,, ,*ct

&,'',

OpportLurities in all sectors of the economr,, including manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, food processing, technology, transportation, public utilities, natural resources, medical services, etc. Privatization legislation and public attitude support and encouragc Diaspora arrd other foreigrr investors ro provide ownership, capital, strategic investment and business knorv-how lor enterpriscs and assets being privatized.

*t,tt { I otui pg; tt t rii',t s Auq,;ross Llqur*nl lolus Ascrr S,{Lrs

J';.1'l

For more information contact PRIVATIZATION & BANKRUPTCY PROJECT

IN ARMENIA

r0M 0liJiltn$llrp ilr

Tss MrNrsrny op SurE Pnotsnry Maxecrr,tsNr Republic of Armenia Telephone (37 4l) 520 "628, 528 -61 4 Email tender@arminco.com www.privatization.am

II{ItRPRI$I$

Additionally, you may contact IBTCI, USAID"funded advisors to the MSPM. IBTCI rs available to respond promptly to rnost inquiries.

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lRlI,lIilrfllr

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Gouen $tony

the mayor of Gyumri to lease the land to the

- for 99 years. "This will become a small public park for the local community," says Sister Arousiag proudly. After 10 years in Armenia, Sister Arousiag

Sisters instead

has found ways to solve any problems with the authorities. She has many more plans, still untackled. "My dream is to open a training center for orphaned young girls in Yerevan, where they can leam secretarial skills, or study computer science, or management, so that they may

become seH-sfficient in their lives. They should know that they have a choice and can make their own decisions - this will enhance their seH-esteem." It is this commitment to nurture the souls of Armenia's children that has made Sister Arousiag a key player on Armenia's social service

scene.

Dancing around the nightly bonlire. Lady ol Armenia - Boghossian Educational Center opened in Gumri in September 1998 as a lacility lor girls interested in becoming nuns, as well as lol orphaned or homeless girls.

Photo, left:

Below: The Our

Gouen Stony

ffiffimffiffimlnstahlllly Armenia's Northern Neighbor, Georgta, in organized Chaos BY VICKEN CHETERIAN; PHOTOS BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

i,q .\..

ilf llurt lrtr ltet'tr ntt Iiqluin': irt lt rrLtrr Thili:i | [ut t,'y,'y,1 \{ir,i\ /1r11. llttt rltttt tt lltttttll'in,, ,,1 Gcirgiu',: trrtictntrl gtLartl .tr:iz.crl u ttrilitarv

bu,sL,

dosc kt the cupitul iu Mot, thc

ks ir (icrtrgiu't .stuble Ioq'ude bcgutt to sltoty. Dontastictllv, lltcl"t,e lrcur uppurctrt lrtr u wltile, us Ourgiu's vut ious us;sel.\ occ(ss' to o :;cu, trun.\it rottte .t'or ()uspitur ttil, proxitrtitt, tct cruL

Rrr.ssirar ott

d'[i

rkish

t t

r u rkets, tm

lcrnul

io t

ru I -

rautgtrizul l'rcsidcnt - have rnt udded rtlt to a hope-l'illcd prc:cnt or lirtrtre. 11,

:10

Rtrslitr,e li tlvcnue is the place to scc and to be seen in the Georgian capilal. Thc rraltic is hcavr,. und importcd European or Japanese cilrs are as many as <tld, Soviet ones. Welldrcssecl pcople busv with thcir nrobiJe pirones

Tbilisi and thc rest of the country is continuing to plunge into poverty. The highwzrv s.vs-

visit neivlv openccl cafds. casinos or luxury

ol'most ot the energy production plants and

shops. Cotrstruclitxr is booming,. and cvitlently there is more moncv in privale hancls than

the distrihution gricl by an American compa-

in anv olhcr tirne since Gectrgia becarne an inclcpendent republic a clccadc ago. Ilut drive l few minutcs oul ol clowntown r\livl NIAY

2001

tcm is a wreck in a countrv u,ith arnbitions to

bccon.rc the transport corridor between Europc and Asia. In spite ol'the privatization

Photos, above

lnternally Displaced Persons

(relugees) in Georgia. 0pposite paoe A

view of Tbilisi.

Goven Stony

ny, last winter, the inhabitants of Tbilisi had

to cope with two

six hours of electricity

daily. Criminality is on the rise. and dozens of

foreigners and Gcorgians were beaten. and robbed. The attacked. brutally latest victim was Member ol Parliament Petre Tiisktirishvili and his girl lriencl. wllo were kidnappecl for a week and released only after interior ministry oflicials negotiated with the kidnappers. There is a generalized

people

January 1992, Kitovani and losseliani invited F,duard Shevardnadze. the former First Secretary of the Ceorgian Communist Party and foreign rninister of the USSR under Mikhail Gorbachev, to take power in Tbilisi. "When Shevardnadze returned from Moscow he had neither money nor military force," said lvlian Haindrava, a political analyst in Tbilisi, "and although he committed numerous mistakes - like the war in Abkhazia

sentiment that the embryonic state institutions in Georgia are losing their grip. The early years of indePendence in Georgia were marked with civil strife. power struggle and anarchy. Tbilisi was plagued with a tug-of-war between tl.re supporters of the hrst president of independent Georgia.

- nevertheless he succeeded in bringing stability simply by his personal authority." Shevardnadze succeeded in disbanding

nationalist and eccentric Zviad

his power base the Citizens' Union of Georgia (CUG), an amalgam of former

Gamsakhurdia. and warlords such as Tenguiz Kitovani and Jaba Iosseliani opposing him. When Gamsakhurdia was overthrown in

Communists, young Westernized "reformers", and various regional rulers. But the backbone of his regime was the interior min-

the

Iosseliani's and Kitovani's private mkhedrioni (cavalry) army and imprisoning losseliani and Kitovani. for a while. He also created for

AIM MAY

2OOi

istry and the 40,000 strong police force. "His compromise was to turn a blind eye to corruption in return for political neutrality,"

explainecl Haindrava, and added, "the guardian of the system is the police structure, which. at the same time, is the protector of the illegal economic system."

While the state budget runs at a chronic deficity. the main sources o{ income, such as taxes on cigarette and alcohol imports, tran-

sit fees or even some say foreign aid, is dominated and divided among criminal groups and corrupt otflcials. The state budget is in such a dire state that even salaries of police offlcers have remained unpaid for up to eight months.

The situation of the armed forces is even

more critical.

In a

televised interview

Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze said that his ministry had received 0.4 per cent of the gross national income as funding instead of 1t

Gouen $tony

the agreed-upon 2.5 per cent. "Georgia does not have a defense budget," he concluded. "The secwity situation is shaky because the compromise between various clans, and even

some criminal groups, is not holding any more," said David Darchiashvili, a security expert. He sees a power struggle taking shape

the power ministries and the reformist wing of the CUG. This was aggravated after Shevardnadze declared his intention to create a new post of Prime Minister. Many think that Zwab Zhvania, currenfly Speaker of the Parliament, might be appointed to this position . Zhvanra,3T ,the former leader of the Green Party, has chaired the Georgian Parliament since 195. Some in Georgia even speculate that by creating the post of prime ministry, Shevardnadze is in fact preparing a between

successor to head the Georgian state. "Power broking still takes place inside the

palace of Shevardnadze, but if there is no rapid improvement in the socio-economic situation, the balancing act will become difficult, even impossible," said Darchiashvili.

Fighting corruption is at the top of the political agenda, encouraged by Western countries and international organizations. The IMF and the World Bank are less eager to

send new tranches

of multi-million

dollars

And, the worst is yet to come: in March,

without seeing progress in bringing parts of

Russia introduced a visa regime with Georgia.

the shadow economy under state control. In a Shevardnadze revealed that over 55 percent of Georgia's economic output went unregistered last year and that smuggling accounted for 70-80 per cent of all petrol and diesel used in Georgia. Still, there is hope for success. "Reforms are stillpossible because there is no extremistpolitical party capable of exploiting the deâ&#x201A;Źpening popular discontent,'n said Darchiashvili. The lines of confrontation are clear; on the one side is Interior Minister Kakha Thrgamadze who is said to have a share in all major economic activities, and on the other, Justice minister and reputed reformer Mikheil Saakashvili.

This puts heavy pressure on the Georgian

recent radio interview,

Confrontation with Russia The Western media has attributed the worsening conditions in Georgia to Russian Machiavellic policy. Russian military pressure on the northem border has increased with the beginning of the most recent war in Chechnya, with mountain villages on the Georgian side occasionally coming under bomb attack. In the worst winter months, the Russian gas company Ithera cut offdeliveries over a debt dispute.

AIM MAY

2OO1

economywhich depends on moneybeing sent a million Georgian migrant workers in various Russian towns, who come and go at will. Now, they will have to pay for each entry and departure, thus cutting into their ability to survive. The other 'catch' is that Russia does not demand visas of those who live in Abkhazia or South Ossetia, arguing that they are unable to travel to Tbilisi to apply for one. Georgian officials label this outright annexation. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are those regions which have, with varying degrees of intensity and legitimacy, demanded independence from Tbilisi, and Russia has more or less consistent-

back by over

ly backed these demands, some say to leave Georgia in a weakened, and dependent, state. Moscowhas its own complaints. It is furious at what it calls Georgiab aggressive antiRussian policy. Last year,

the

Georgian

President declared that his country will join NATO by 2005. Meanwhile, the fint of four Russian bases in Georgia the air base at

Photo, above:

Unemployed men outside Tbilisi.

Gouen Stony

Vaziani-will

be dismantled by the end of June'

Georgia, with US support, is pushing

the three remaining

bases vacated

to have

three

years, while Moscow wants to keep them and

the 11,000 troops there for another 15 years'

The problem is that those remaining three bases - in Akhalkalaki, Batumi, and Gudauta - are situated in areas where the Georgian government has little or no control. Therefore, any Russian withdrawal will create a power vacuum that could ignite new (and old) conflicts. So, it is difficult to understand Georgia's hard line policy towards Russia. Alexander Iskandarian, Director of the Moscow-based Center for the Study of the Caucasus, says anti-Russian policy in Georgia has two functions. "It is the cement bringing together various segments of the elite and a large portion of public opinion," he said, while, externally, it is the major leverage to attract Westem attention and support. Javekheti and Relations With Armenia The possible withdrawal of the Russian military base from Akhalkalaki is a source of concern, for numerous reasons. Most of the 3,000 soldiers and officers stationed there are recruited from the local Armenian population. The Russian base is the major source of income for this impoverished, mountainous,

Armenian-populated region and the withdrawal could result in a further deterioration of socio-economic conditions for the roughly 160,000 ethnic Armenians of the region. Although Tbilisi and Yerevan have been

working closely so that the situation in

in Armenian) remains calm, there remain several unregulated issues. The first is that the Georgian authorities

Javakheti (Javakhk

have little control over the region. How the power transfer might take place after the

President Shevardnadze recently dismissed such fears as unnecessary Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian said, in an April interview with a Turkish television reporter, that the Turkish-Georgian military cooperation can fundamentally disrupt the regional equilibrium. "That equilibrium may be disrupted if the Georgian-Turkish military cooperation deepens, and if Georgia gradually and even unnoticeably becomes more and more dependent on Turkey, and perhaps unknowingly, is pulled into the formation of a Turkey-

Georgia-Azerbaijan axis, thus becoming involved in the Turkish and Azerbaijani policy to isolate Armenia." In turn, Georgian authorities are critical towards Armenian-Russian military collaboration. In an interview given to RFE/RL, foreign policy specialist Alexander Rondeli said, "Armenia wants to have its cake and eat it too, but this is very dfficult to achieve. It wants to be with the West, to get flnancial support from it. At the same time, it considers Russia as a trustworthy ally with whom to develop military cooperation. " I think that fthe ermenians] too want to participate in big projects and be associated with the development of the region. But for the time being they are focusing on national security issues, especially on their military aspect."

The Decrease of Western Involvement Georgia receives the third highest per capita foreign aid from the US, after Israel and Armenia. It also receives important aid from the European Union and Germany, a country that is considered to be traditionally close to Georgia. (Germany appreciated Shevardnadze's role in German reunifica-

tion, in his foreign minister days under Gorbachev.)

Russian withdrawal is unclear.

The local population is also concemed about their security after the departure of the Russian troops. The local Armenians are

mostly immigrants from the Ottoman

Empire, who found refuge in this Tsarist bor-

der province after 1828. Today, the area still shares a border with Turkey, and memories of the Genocide were refreshed by Turkey's

recent support of

Azerbaijan during the Karabakh war. Moreover, the Georgian authorities have plans to repatriate some of the 100,000 Meskhet Turks, who were forcibly deported to Central Asia by Stalin following World War II.

And the close military collaboration between Ankara and Tbilisi, at least in part to

counter Russian military influence

region, adds to the historic fears. It also is a subject of concem for Armenia. Although

the

Then there is the success story of the Baku-Supsa pipeline, functioning (between Azerbaijan and Georgia) since 1999, hailed as the opener to a new age in the Caucasus. Yet, the West is becoming weary of inefficiency and lack of progress. The few foreign investments are suffering from a negative business atmosphere.

The security situation is limiting the movement of expatriates. And police colruption on the nation's highways is diverting traffic to alternate routes. After the initial enthusiasm (in the mid 1990s) about Georgia's future, today, the notion of a "failed state" is being used to describe the inability of Tbilisi to impose unifled and efficient administrar tion over its territories.

AIM MAY

2OO1

/\ETT tr&#E&râ&#x201A;Ź

Book Launch

Travel and Adventure in the Caucasus

Tuesday, June 26, 2001, 7:30pm

Edge of Time: Iiayeling in Armenia and l(arahagh This first complete travel guide of Armenia and Karabakh takes the traveler on an adventurous journey. Matthew Karanian and Robert ian, authors/photographers o{ Out of Stone, will presentthe book and Ku rkj

discuss photographs, the sites and travelling throughout the region. Book Signing/Photo Exhibit/Reception

Open Admission

Gal6 Santorini's Rococo Room 64-70 West Union Street

0ld Pasadena, California

POlitiCS

Monday, July 16, 2oo1

lnsider's look at Armenia at the UN H.E. Ambassador Movses Abelian Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the

United Nations

. Armenia's representative to the UN is president

of the execu-

tive board of the United Nations Children's Fund -

UNICEF.

. Armenia is one of the 53 member countries on the influential UN Human Rights Commission. Ambassador to the United Nations since 1998, Abelian has been on the staff of the UN Mission since its inception, and is nowa senior member of Armenia's diplomatic corps. He will discuss Armenias role and present its position on such global issues as human rights, disarmament, the

environment, globalization, conflict resolution, interaction with the 1BB UN memberstates, as well as the complexities of representing Armenia to the world.

Brandview Collection 109

East Harvard Street, Glendale, California

$30.00 subscribers, $35.00 non-subscribers

Reservations required

please call 818.246.7979 or aimagazine@aol.com

BY KRISTE]I KIDD & HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIA]I

year ago in May, according to police, three teenagers (one girl, two boys - the two males were said to belong to a local known as Armenian Power) were driving outside Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, Califomia, about 30 minutes after school ended. At one point, the car stopped, the three stepped out, a confrontation began with a reputed gang member. When it ended, a L7-year-old witness, who had intervened in the fight, had been fatally wounded. Raul gang

Aguirre, a senior at Hoover High, died of head and chest wounds after being stabbed several times with a knife, and hit repeatedly with a steel crowbar. Aguine was MexicanAmerican, his accused killers Armenians. Aguirre was describedby the media as a "Good Samaritan" who came to the aid of a boy who was outnumbered. School officials say he was a good student with an after-school job. Police say Aguirre was not a gangmember.

During the last year the girl and the younger of the two teenaged boys have been awaiting trial from the confines of a juvenile detentioncenter. The oldest boy,who faces the most serious charges, is currently being held in a separate facility.

Their attomep are challenging a newly passed state lawthat allows minors asyoung as 14 to be tried as adults without a juvenile court hearing. An appeals court has halted all action

in the hials until this issue can be

decided.

Mark

Geragos, the attomey representing the oldest defendant, says the case is headed to the California Supreme Court next month.

I ll of the media coverage, and many politiIl .i*r'comments. desiribed this incident Jlut a racl:luy mouvateq cnme, qesprre police desuiptions to the contrary. Glendale Police Sergeant Rick Young said that there are typically between 12-20 incidents per year

AIM MAY

2OO1

involving tensions between Armenians and Hispanics in a city with more than 210,000 Armenians -fully one-third of the population.

Yet an editorial in the Los Angela Times labeled the so-called tensions between Armenian and Hispanic residents in Glendale as a "long-simmering ethnic

divide." Glendale's then-Mayor Dave Weaver was quoted

n the Glendnle News-

Press as saying, "there are underlying issues related to the presence ofgangs and lingering

ethnic-racial tensions in Glendale." Police, meanwhile, continued to characterize this as a gang-related crime, insisting race was not a primary factor. Hoover High Schoolh campus resource officer, Marilyn Cisneros, has observed some of conflict between Hispanic and Annenian students, but says they have been isolated to cases of individual troublemakers clashing. "The conflict I see is Armenian-on-

instances

Gonnections

Armenian more than anything else, because lrbanese-Armenians, Persian-Armenians and so on." Many observe that in 1998, when an Armenian teenager shot and killed another Armenian teen, again outside Hoover High, the reaction to that event amounted to a fraction of what this incident evoked. Shortly after Aguirre's death, Cisneros says she observed signs of mutual respect and understanding rather than heightened strain. "What I've seen come out of this is more unity. I saw Armenian kids walk up to Hispanic we have Russian-Armenians,

by outspoken parents. "I was disappointed in the adults, they rattled my kids out there. The adult Armenians and the adult Hispanics were raising emotions when the kids were under control. I heard a lot of ignorant statements." Levon Bekarian, 19, and Robert Olivarez, 18, both seniors at Hoover High agree with Cisneros' observations. "The media and the community even labeled this as a racial issue. We did not think that it was," says Olivarez, who knew the victim through friends and was sitting with him three hours prior to the inci-

dent. Bekarian describes the first few days after the incident as quiet and

other race now," adds Olivarez. According to the teens, there are always a few bad students who spoil it for everyone. "Before I started attending Hoover High, my cousins advised me not to mess with the Mexicans. 'They will kill you. Stick with the Armenians. Only Armenians will back you,' they said. But I didnt find that here. I have only seen a couple of bad people and they usually stickto theirown groups, with peoplewho think like they do," says Bekarian.

year later, Hoover High does not look

kids and apologize to them, shake their hands. Even the toughest Hispanic kids understood that it was not the Armenians'fault." Cisneros believes it is the adults who have misread the

bit tense. "We didnt know what to say, but then we wanted to let each other know that what the media was portraying this to be was not a@urate," says

H:ffi y";;;llfr ":xt'#,r:[1tH:

situation, feeding whatever tension existed

Bekarian. "We wanted to show each other that this was not a racial thing. This brought us closer. Most of us have more friends of the

which bring together students from different

with panic-fueled emotion. Cisneros says the students' intentions were sometimes derailed Below:

who prefer to stay with their own kind, and

those who join various clubs and groups ethnic backgrounds.

Bekarian and Olivarez met through the

Armenian and Hispanic students working on a panel lor lhe Native American Friendship Pole at Hoover High School in GIendale.

0pposite page, left: Sludents yuorkiru 0n the loundation ol the Native American Pole. 0pposite, bottom: Hoover High School students returning lrom a Talahumara Indian village, 1996. Opposite, top right: Showing unity. Photos by Pierre Odier.

Gonnections

Native American Heritage club. headed by his-

tory and photography teacher Pierre Odier. For the past 12 years, Odier has been bringing students ofvarious backgrounds together. worklng on projects, travelling. and in the process, learning both about themselves and each other. "My groups are verv mixed. But by working on proiects as a team. all differences fall to the sicle and are not relevant anvmore." says Odicr. who has been teaching

at Hoover for 36 years. Still. he admits

does not know how these kids' neutral views of one another in class translates in the community or in their own homes. Sometimes it doesn't.

"Armenian parents think our culture

not going to survive if we mix with others. But I think it will make it stronger because, by doing so, rve can introduce our culture to others and leetrn new cultures," says Bekarian.

According

to Odier, tensions

between

teenagers are always there, but cultural tensions come and go. "We have 3000 kids here. A couple of them get in trouble and get the

headlines. It is always the extremes that get the attention," says Odier. "Some Armeniaus are extremely studious. Others come here to just hang out and dont put any effort into it. But you can say that about any group. This is the underlying fabric of diversity itself," he says. "It is a mystery why we don't invest more in our kids." says Odier. He has. Through the Native American Heritage and Photography clubs, which he advises. Armenian, Hispanic and Asian students, over the years, have had

opportunities to travel to the North Pole to live with and document the lives of Eskimos, to Pennsylvania in search of the last Mohegan.

and to Mexico, to deliver aid, anci live with of a small vitlage of native Tarahumara Indians. "These trips have been

members

both educational and bonding experiences for my students." says Odier. "With the ever-increasing diversitv and distractions ol our students. il is more urgent and important today than ever before to provide students with locally focused tangible projects. From this hands-on project comes a shared

in our common heritage." wrote Odier in the preface of a 60-page publication which was entirely photographed, designed and written by Armenian and Hispanic students working together, documenting a 100year-old hotel in Pasadena. This year, students are building a Native American'Friendship'Pole, to be erected on school grounds. The projecl, which startecl in 1996. chronicles the history of Native Americiins. It has been conceptualized and exccuted by students. supewised by Odier as well as two Tongva leaders who were invited to examine and approve the visualization of their history. The 4O-foot cast bronze monument is made of small panels. each depicting part of the history. The diverse ethnic make-up of interest

Hoover High is represented through rocks from each US state as well as from each of the students' native countries, to be embedded in the monument. There are rocks from Korea, Mexico and a rock from the base of Mount Ararat,

d..'i

't!

AIM MAY

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Gonnections

$aulngths}bung$ter$ BY KRISTEiI KIDD

ince the tragedy at Hoover High School,

the parents agree, and the child is willing, Generation Next members then assign a young professional to work with that student from October to August. Nearly all of the 49

there has been much talk about the need for community outreach programs

in Glendale. While some ideas are still being talked about, the AGBU's Generation Next (AGBUGennext@aol.com) mentorship program is well into its third year. Based in

students who've been in the program so far are

immigrants. Yeghyazarians says his accounting career is

Pasadena, C.alifornia, Generation Next targets

troubled Armenian students

time-consuming, but he feels mmpelled to make room in his life for this project. "I'm a very impatient person, I want things done now,

Glendale,

teaming young teenagers with volunteer men-

tors. The Young Professionals Committee launched the program after members kept findi.rg themselves frustrated over the latest

But when it comes to a kid, you have to learn patience. You're not dealingwith a client, a subordinate or a supervisor. You're dealing with another human being." He gets a laugh from other prospective mentors when he describes the challenge of winning over the trust of his mentee, "For the first four months our conversations went like this, 'Hovik, how are you doing? Fine. What's going on? Nothing. What did you do this week? Nothing.' But after awhile they open up, they're looking for someone to talk to, share their experiences with and bounce offideas." While there are large well-funded mentorship programs already in existence in Los Angeles, such as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, Generation Next leaders believe Armenian kids can most benefit from special

incidents of youth violence. "It's one of the best things I've ever done," explained mentor Armen Yeghyazarians at a meeting to recruit new mentors. "I feel I'm

making a difference in this kid's life." The goateed 31-year-old accountant says he volunteered because he wanted to stop complaining about the troubled youth problem in Glendale and do something about it. He and other volunteer mentors who meet the group's selection criteria commit to spending a few hours a week with a young teenager, and providing him or her with friendship and guidance. Romik Kazaryan, 17, was a Generation Next mentee two years ago when the program first started. He was paired with Megan Broutian, a youngwoman who owns her own business. Broutian's good example and per-

sistent involvement helped set Kazaryan on

track to become a high school graduate, a feat he says he might not have otherwise achieved. When Kazaryan joined Generation Next at the age of 15, he had been kicked out of Glendale High School for having more than 20 suspensions in ayear. His infractions ran the spectrum from ditching class and smoking in the bathroom to cussing out teachen and fighting with other students.

Kazaryanb family moved to California from Armenia when he was seven years old. In the eight years following, he grew to hate school, and still dislikes reading English. When the opportunity for Kazaryan to work with a mentor was offered, his parents encouraged him to grve it a try. They're grateful he did, and so is he. "It's a wonderful program. My parents really credit Megan with turning my life around," said Kazaryan,

AGBU Genelation I'lext mentot and mentees gather al the AGBU cenler in Pasadena,

California. Mentors meel one-on-one with students on a weekly basis to help with homework assignmenls, prouide support and

lriendship.

Photo by

Ara Arzoumanian.

assistance and he agrees she was a major influence. Kazaryan says Broutian appealed to his desire to have fun, for example offering incen-

tives such as trips Amusement Park

from Armenian-American

men-

- professional men and women who are successful in American society, yet under-

tors

stand the language barriers, cultural and spe-

to Magic Mountain cial

circumstances

immigrant families

he could improve his grades. Her encouragement and assistance

struggling to adjust.

worked like a charm. "Of course it's not going to work for everybody. There are kids who don't cooperate, but it helped me and I'm glad

Danielian was the first Glendale school administratorto embrace the program. This year, two other Glendale public middle schools, Roosevelt and Wilson, are also particrpating. "The mentors I have from AGBU, God bless them. You have no idea how helpful they are," said Danielian. "We need to have mentors, enough people who can just hold these kids under their wings and be role models." The first year, eight students participated, last-year the number rose to 15, and this year

counselor at Hovik's school identffied him as

there are 26 mentorlmentee pairings. The

I was in the program." Kazaryan is cunently working in a restaurant and studying for the US Postal Service exam. He now has clear goals in mind, "I want to buy a car, and sooner or later college will be in the future." "My mentee's name is Hovik. He's a great kid. He's got a good family, but he was having trouble

school," Yeghyazarians said.

an "at-risk youth" and referred him to Generation Next. Teachers can nominate stu-

dents

become mentees, based on their

grades, attendance and disciplinary records.

AIM MAY

2OO1

Toll Middle School Principal Hasmik

AGBU expects that trend to continue

more schools become involved and more qualified mentors become interested. Funding is currently based on donations; none of the

Gonnections

mentors are paid, although the group is applying for state and federal grants. There is a waiting list of students, but the number accepted depends on the number ofvolunteer mentors.

The mentors aren't the only ones who volunteer. There are also professional counselors who spend time with parents on weekends.

"The program is run almost entirely with volunteers," says Anahid Tutunjian, who currently heads the project. Tutunjian has extensive background in social work and youth programs. She follows Alina Yeghia- zaian who established the program and ran it for the first two years and is now the Chief Case Manager.

Although all the professionals offer their for free, there are program costs Dodger games, drama and role-playing work-

services

shops, museum trips and training sessions which require tundraising. And the AGBU Young Professionals do so, because they believe "being a mentor is the most rewarding experience" many of them have ever had. And it's rewarding for the students, as well. Danielian believes the one-on-one attention a mentor offers is the most effective method of reaching troubled children. "They may not appreciate it right away, but in the long run they will. Sooner or later the light bulb goes on and then you start seeing a change in their lives." She say$ simple gestures can be invaluable to a child who's had limited experience in society. "Sometimes these kids have never gone anyrvhere. They go home and they complain that they have nothing to do. They have probably never sat down and had a conversation with an adult. That's what a mentor can provide."

"It's not brain surgery"

Yeghyazarians

joked. "My job is to expose him to new things, help him with school if I can. I've sat down and helped him with his math homework. I've taken himto lunch. I took himto SantaMonica Pier, no big deal but it's new to him. He's beginning to get the idea that if you work hard you can be a su@ess and gain the freedom to have some of the things you want in life."

As a young professional who helps peo-

ple keep their financial affairs in order, Yeghyazarians understands the value of put-

ting his money where his mouth is, "When someone asks, what are you doing about youth violence and crime, I can say, 'you know what, I am doing something about it,

" Ara Arzumanian, Program Coordinator,

one person at a time.'

adds, "It's not an abstract contribution to the community - you see the direct effects of

what you are

doing."

SAVE 40o/o'7 0o/o EVERYDAY

Gonnections

$alt ol the Eantn Helps Asthma Patients Bneath Easy 8Y JULIA HAKOBIAN; PH()TOS BY MKHITAR KHACHATRIAN

urly in lhe morning. Aida Kazarian rises trr drirrk hcr herbal tea and prepares lbr Lanothcr tlay in the sal( lrrine: another day in the hospital. She catches a minibus fbr Avan, on the edge of Yerevan, where she gets off at the salt mine stop ancl heads for a one-storied building. There she takes off her coat, puts on a lab coat and a hardhat and goes to the elevator, where a group of people are waiting 1br her. Henrik, the man with the flashlight, gives a command to the elevator operators. They take the control levers of the rope and start to lower the lift. In some five seconds. the elevator with passengers immerses into a deep darkness. Henrik switches on the flash-

f f

light and tells everybody to hold on to the hanclrails.

The lift - a cage without walls - shakes and rocks. A passenger bumps his head, and laughter from the others echoes in the eleva-

door marked with a red cross - the international symbol of medical aid. Henrik turns off the flashlight, opens the door and the

group enters the lighted cave that

Republican Speleotherapeutical Hospital.

one-half minutes and at the bottom. the lift

For more than i0 years, bronchial asthma. allergy and respiratory disease patients like Aida have been coming to this cave for treatment. (The story goes, that KGB offi-

passengers step over rails used by metal vans hauling huge chur.rks of salt. The passengers in

cers used to come here, too, because conversations were hard to "bug" in the cave.)

tor chamber. The ride to the bottom,23-5 rneters (750 ft.) below that one-storied building, takes two and

their lab coats and hardhats greet the dusty miners waiting to put their load onto the unsteady lift, then go further leaving behind the noise and bustlc of the mincrs. Signs on the walls lead them to a big wooden

AIM MAY

zOO]

Pholos: The underground Avan saltmine

clinic

provides reliel tor patients with asthma and respiratory problems. Photos by Mkhitar Khacahtrian.

Gonnections

The clinic - built in 1987 as a special project of the Galurcial Institute of St. Petenburg - is carved out of a massive stratum of stone salt and does not fit the traditional understanding of medicine. ff not for the indexes of red crosses it would seem to be an extraordinary excursion hall of an ancient cave, looking more like a magical kingdom than a health clinic. Firstimpressionis the absence of smell. The walls and ceiling are carved out of solid salt,

while the floor is covered with salt pebbles.

sfieam of electric wires passes on the ceiling.

On some walls are small holes, dug by patients taking pieces of salt to keep as souvenirs of their stay in the clinic. Patients play table tennis, walk the long, shadowy corridors, work out on a few crude exercise machines or, mostly, sit around a table in the "lobby" and gossip. The only attribute of medicine here is a stethoscope around the neck of Chief Physician Andranik Voskanian, the Director

of the clinic.

"The salt environment has an amazing hsaling impact on the respiratory system," he says. "Salt caves are spread out through the Ararat Valley. Actually it is the bottom of the Biblical sea, from where life came into being." Similar clinics canbe found in Ukraine and Eastem Europe. But the clinic in Armenia is the only one of its kind because of the unique microelement aerosol. The aerosol contains all the components that exist in human blood, which makes this place almost ideal for treatment of respiratory disease.

The Avan saltmine clinic is a

huge

fering asthma. In Armenia, about six out of

4,000 square meters (40,000 sq. ft.) - of corridors where crystals of salt reflect the light of the luminescent lamps, which create the impression that the cave shines from within. And although it is not forbidden even to sing, everyone speaks very quietly, as if not wishing to break the natural silence. The only sound is of salt crunching under footsteps. The few patients who come for regular treat-

every 100 people are asthmatic. Because of the consistent temperature, the dryness of the air and the curative powers of salt, the mine provides a near-perfect environment for asthma patients. The positive impact of the cave environment in general and salt's particular effect on man's health is known from ancient times.

ment most often meet in the area they call the 'oconference hall" - one of the carved out mrridon-where they sit for tea and convenation. "I've been suffering from asthma for 20 years," says Aida, a cheerful woman of 43. "I nearly choked each time I'd get a cough. It was awftI, especially at nights." Asthma has played a fatal role in Aida's life. During her third pregnancy the agonizing cough attacks often led to the loss ofconsciousness. She was compelled to end herpregnnry.

escaped to caves, where they heal

labyrinth

Since that life-threatening episode six years ago, Aida has been coming to the clinic one month each year. She says her asthma has almost disappeared. She only regrets that now she is too old to have another child. "Unfortunately, Aida came to us late," says Voskanian. "Seventeen pregnant women suffering from asthma in various stages got speleofieatrnentin our clinic. They had normal pregranry anddelivery. The newborns did not have diatheses or any other symptoms of allergy during the following years." According to statistics, there is a world-

wide increase in the number of people sufAIM MAY

2OO1

Early on, people noticed that wounded animals

their wounds or stinp. People investigated that phenomena and a new branch of medicine was bom: Speleotherapy ("speleo" is Greek for cave). "Many scientists from different countries are engaged now in study of speleotherapy," Voskanian says. "The existing energy sources contained in salt crystals are well known. But the opportunities of speleotherapy are insuf-

ficiently studied." Voskanyan says that during the Soviet years the clinic did not have enough capacity to cope with the flow of patients, treating more than 2,500. Today, the cost of the treatment - $200 for five sessions per week, three to nine hours per day for three to six weeks is too expensive for the majority of the population and most days the clinic is nearly empty. At 3 p.m. Aida Kazarian takes out the lunch she has brought with her. "Here, not

only does your health improve, food becomes especially tasty, too." Smiling, Aida shares the secret. She takes

a small knife and approaches the wall. scrapes the

wall and salts the

meal.

She

Int$

[mErUlnU lnto

ilc FutrFG

New York Artists Come to the Fore BY CHBISTOPHER ATAMIAI{

midst the rag-tag studios of Williamsburg and the glimmering galleries of Chelsea,

a group of talented young Armenian artists is making its mark on the art world, the

first generation of truly Western Armenian artists, fully integrated into the contemporary art scene. Graduates of prestigious schools such as the Rhode Island School of Design,

New York University and renowned programs such as the Whitney Studio Program, they have incorporated the latest theories and trends into their own uniquely informed art. At times, Armenian cultural references are overt, as in the work of Linda Ganjian or Rene Gabri, while in others, they are either remote or absent, such as in the photography of Madeleine Djerejian and Aram Jibilian. Madeleine Djerejian produces wonderfully private photographical portraits that capture the essence of her subjects in unique and disquieting ways. Her student show, at School of Msual Arts Gallery in 1997, first exposed her intensely psychological portraits to the public. Large, richly chromatic closeups brought attention not only to the subjects themselves, but to their own thought processes and feelings. The same attention to the act

of looking itself is brought to bear in Djerejian's latest work, "Empire," another series of portraits, this time, all taken from the top of the Empire State Building. As critic Noah Baumbach has noted, we never see the view from the top of the most famous of skyscrapers. Instead we are directed to the viewers themselves, culled from every ethnic and age group: what are they thinking about as they look down at New York City? What do the grids that enclose them physically and spiritually synbolize in each case? Indeed, the very simplicity of the shot itself reveals Left: Madeline Djerejian, Untitled. Inkjet on newsprint, from newspaper negative, 13" x 19", lrom series When the Delails are lrrelrievable, 1998-2000. 0pposite page, top: Aram Jibilian, pholographer. "Twin Bed," chromogenic prints, 13" x 180" Opposite page, bottom: Donna Avedisian, "Pyrr-liss," oil on panel, 7.75" x 9.75" 52

AIM MAY

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Ints

.q$$#ffffi

surprising questions about their 6tats d'eme. A bare neck in a blue sleeveless shirt shows

daily basis in the American news medium. We

the body to be a purveyor of emotion

that the victims become inseparable from one another or, for that matter from the perpetrators, in our memory. Djerejian has exhibited at the Matthew Marks and Audiello Galleries in

much as the human face. Another woman, her head hanging through the gridding, suggests both resentment and desire.

A separate

can only forget their identities,

to the point

series of work, "When the Details are Irretrievable," made from inkjet prints on paper selected from old crime reports,

New York, and currently has a show at Otto Schweins Gallery in Cologne, Germany.

reminds us of the endless parade of victims

it inward on himself, problematizing the notion of the body and appro-

and perpetrators that we are subjected to on a

Aram Jibilianb photography takes the gaze and focuses

priating Renaissance references in ingenious and novel ways. In the frieze-like sequence "Shave", Jibilian and his identical twin brother, Arek, shave each other's heads in an overtly sensual yet violent encounter, their smiles adding an element of mirth to the undertaking. "Gang Bang" depicts parts of Jibilian's body in physically disjointed squares, while an untitled shot presents Jibilian's naked legs and torso, captured under a steel mesh bed in an

overtly sado-masochistic pose. Jibilian's work

lnts

the body as a prison as well as a source of joy, placed within the context of a suggests

gically recreates small music videos, or performance pieces, set to songs from France and Italy that his parents played when he was a child. In 'Natali," World War II images of landscapes, taken from bomber planes, are

battle with his own identity and sexuality. Perhap the most powerful pieces are his "bed" series: "Twin Bed" and "Bedded" which show Jibilian in different poses, always facing down on his stomach, as if he has been forced down by some outside force, the work of man or perhaps God? The embattled body finds itself in the most innocent of places: the Califomia swimming pool, the artist's own bed. As Jibilian writes: "In beautiful beds people are raped and in pristine swimming pools people are drowned. These images compel the to experience beauty as mediated through fear." "Twin Bed," in particular, takes on the remarkably ambitious idea of reproducing a frieze from the Sistine Chapel with these simple tools: the camera, a bed, flowing sheets, and the photographer's own body. The fact that he succeeds so beauffilly is one testament to Jibilian's remarkable talent. Tlte 2i7 year-old NYU graduate exhibits regularly at

yiewer

80 Washington Square East Galleries

and

Richard Anderson Fine Arts. In Tehran-born Ren6 Gabrib work, refer-

interspersed with close-up images of the artist's thick, dark hair. Apart from creating his own work, Gabri is also actively engaged in promoting emerging art, having co-founded the highly successful 14 Beaver Street, a studio space and lecture center in the financial disences to his Armenian identity crop up in indirect ways. His overall concern with the idea of

the border and the space in-between things, can be linked both to contemporary literary

in his own estimation, to Armenian culture's millennial positioning

theory and,

between East and West. In one particularly biographical video, Gabri shows his mother dancing a traditional Armenian marriage dance in her Glendale, California living room. On a philosophical level, Gabri questions the notion of distance - between the artist and the viewer. Adopting the "Derridean Notion of Difference," Gabri humoristically and nostal-

AIM MAV

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trict of Manhattan. Linda Ganjian is perhaps the most playful of the artists presented here. Her ironic and capricious "Mayr Hayastan in Present-Day Armenia" shows a small doll-size replica of a traditional Armenian female dancer, symbol

of "Mother Armenia," cleverly juxtaposed against urban backdrops from Yerevan, as well as Western commercial icons, such as a large coke can. These color polaroids call into question the relationship between dias-

pora and homeland, between traditional Armenian Culture and the West, as well as with itself. In a series of watercolors, Ganjian humoristically illustrates traditional Armenian

Ants

proverbs, which she hopes to print as a book

with quixotic names such as "Dyupdyupdyup"

in the near future. Finally her most recent

and "Srr-flss." Deeply informed by their heritage in concrete and theoretical ways, these artists are pushing their own afi in new and fascinating directions, while having an undeniable effect on liberating art in Armenia and the Diaspora from the shackles of a sometimes

work, "The Golden City," is a fantastic recreation in hot glue, fabric, paint and wood, of an imaginary city of gold. This miniature, Lilliputian city, built atop a round table with crimson tablecloth, references everything from biology to art history and architecture. Metaphorical allusions aside, the city creates an ode to the power of invention, to the human ability to create grandiosity out of common everyday objects, while casting an ironic glance on the artistic process itself. Ganjian has shown her work internationally, most recently at the Stadelijk Museum in Leiden, The Netherlands, and the Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. A decidely feminist vision informs the work of Cal Arts graduate Talene Berberian.

Using fabric, stone and lamb's wool, Berberian creates the faerielike "Shelter" (Armenia) and "Vestibule," which hang sexily from the gallery's ceiling. They imply the notions of the woman's role as nurturer and protector, while referencing Armenia as a place that is both a shelter to its people and needs to be nurtured itself and protected. In other pieces such as "Mom's Shoe Closet Theater" and "The Breast-Milk Kitchen," overtly vaginal and phallic creations spring forth in absurd and surprisingly un-threatening ways. Berberian's use of traditionally feminine materials, like the work of French artist Annette Messager, seeks to present the daily female experience in a way that is both challenging, yet humorous. A prolific creator, Berberian was invited to the prestigious 2000 Gumri Biennial, while her show "Lumps and Holes" was featured at the Here Gallery in

Manhattan.

Other Armenian artists are contributing equally to the contemporary scene. The experimentally-oriented Polish-bom Jan Barascz, makes black cats out of hard plastic, videotapes comers of rooms in order to challenge our notions of space and vision, and sculpts the inner screens of TV sets out of concrete in order to highlight the beauty of everyday objects, seen and unseen. RISD and Museum School graduate, Donna Avedisian, bases her latest work on "the appeal of phenomenologi-

cal perception and notions of the sublime," producing luscious, acid colored abstractions

Berberian, artist. Untitled. Mixed media. Opposite page, top: Ren6 Gabri, lilmmaker. 0pposite page, bottom: Linda Ganiian, "The Golden City," hot glue, labric, painl, wood, Right: Talene

1'x 3'x 3'. AIM MAY

2OO1

insular and self-congratulating worldview. For Armenian audiences used to endless depictions of still lives and mountain vistas, or to a certain type of traditional portraiture, these emerging artists will provide an eye-opener in the best sense of tl.re word; an aesthetic and philosophical education, long in the waiting and finally, happily, received.

llow I got lhi$ Snot

HdlnUlllUhlnflanahakh BY ROBERT KURKJIAN

adivank is an ancient, beautiful, and mysterious monastery tucked away in a remote part of northern Karabakh. I hadn't visited this site even though I had lived in Karabakh for months at a stretch, during each of the past four years. So one March moming, we began the five-hour drive on the mountainous road from Stepanakert, the capital, to the monastery. We had driven through Martakert and were approaching Sarsang Reservoir. We hadn't seen many people along the way. Then around a bend, I spotted three children riding a donkey along the side of the road. I ran after them, and in a fleeting moment, this photograph presented itseH. The children smiled, laughed, waved, then rode down a path.

Jl I ! E

-Robert Kurkjian is co-author, together with Matthew Karanian, ol

)ut

of Stone: Armenia

Artsakh.

Their second book, Edge of Time, Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh,

will be released next month.

AIM MAY

2OO1

Undenexposed

ln line lon Winten Luuu I rr the $rrvict yr'rrs. thcv sto,xl in lirre li,r lev,:rttltirru: sltttes. eoAlr. ltll 'otl: ()l c()t't1.u,,,a, g()oo\. ilno u\pecrirttv t()()u ll..rrr\. lrl the carly ycars of inclepcndence. those olcl Iines clisappearcd. Thcv wcre rcplaced, fol ir short timc, with lincs for breacl uhich u'as

!{ -.."

? *.

rationed and for honre heating lirel. T'he irony was that those were the 1wo iterrs tlrat lvcre nevcr in short supply in Soviet days - thcre was always lots of hcavy, clark kraf bread. and fuel was just pumpcd into rcsidentizrl buildings

from

ccntral municipal

suppl1,.

Tociay, the resiclents of Ycrcvan stancl in linc for other things. Flowers zrnd wa['crs. Not just any Hone rs. httl tlorre rs lo rirr' trr u()tt)utl on the Da1" of Motherhoocl ancl Bcauty il Soviet holckrver. but not a territrle onc. Fkru,ers i,vcre popular ilenrs then. too. This March, Ycrevan's flowerscllers ran out ol their procluct. thc denrand was so greal.

And very spccial St. Salkis lvafers. 'l-hat.s

the holiday, (in latc Januan' or earlv Fctrluary) rvhen voung girls are supposed to fincl thcir swecthcarts. Nevcr celebrated unclel tlie old rcginrc. St. Sarkis took on special rncaning in Yerevan this vcar. whcn lines qathererl outsicle the St. Sarkis Church lbr thc failhl'Lrl to pick u1'r the special salty walcrs to take homc to lhe

voung women in the famil',1 J'lrc storv gocs, that a young woman crlts that saltv r.i'ale r on St. Sarkis Day ancl gocs to slccp thirsty. has a ch'cam in which a Special Somcone hrinss her wirtcr - and that s who she is clestined to marr,r. Somctimes. stancling in line is ll'orthwhile. -Texts & Photos by Parik Nazarian

H q .+

*lii,

11,,'

AIN,I MAY l00l

Undenexposed

Gone

[ut Not Fon$otlen

President Clinton and some ol those associated with him are still remembered in Yerevan. At least at the Vernissage, where clever craflsmen lound ways to update the traditional Russian malrushka nesting dolls. The price? Somewhere between $10 to $20. Cheap lor what is essentially a demonstration ol globalization: Armenian crallsmen using Russian traditions to represent US history.

Bnaue $oseh

DG Comics, publisher ol some popular comics magazines such as Superman, Batman, and Gotham Girls, recently leatured a new temale heroine, a Greek-Armenian named Soseh. 0nce a year, DC Comics leatures intemational super heroes. Soseh made the cut!

Yeneuil G0nnccts to lnanian ften[alian

The lirsl passengers of the newly inaugurated Yerevan-Tabriz flight anived al lhe new airpofl in Tabriz, lhe capital ol the lranian province ol East Azerbaiian (ethnically close lo Baku in the northeasl) dressed appropriately lor the host country. And although the dress requirements may appear a bit strict lor many, the hospitality at lhe airuorl iusl might make up lor it. Photos by Mkhitar Kahachatrian.

AIM MAY

2OO1

Essay

UttG r I n Uth c U nth I n ka[ I e BY JOHN HUGHES

r!o hell with Karabakh. I didnt say that. I Nor would I. People I love are there. But I othen have said it. Are saying it. And they are not outsiders.

Truth is, it is being said here, in Yerevan, in much harsher terms, and more often than Diasporaland might wish to believe. People are tired. While new diplomatic discussions resurrect old hopes, apathy is stirred among those whose patience wrestles against their need to not appear disloyal. "Karabakh is nothing but a drain on us," a Yerevan physician tells me. "Before the war they didn't care about us and we didn't care about them." His sentiment is not unique, but spoken

But why no peace talks in the places where the signs of war remain vivid testimony to why it should never happen again? Mr. Kocharian, Mr. Aliyev, set up your round tables in Agdam, where your stubborn nationalism turned a city into scattered bits of tile and twisted ironwork, and then see if sunsets on a South Florida island hold as much beauty.

Or in

Sumgait, where slaughter was

because war stole their future.

Foreign aid fllls universities with scholar-

ships

for young Armenians and

Azeris

studying "conflict resolution." Yet the real lesson for the university generation is how to

make a grant-supported career of fantasy diplomacy while common lives are made uncommonly hard by the squeeze of blockade politics.

another word for cleansing and then talk of peace in the City of Love.

I nd when you're deciding which trousers think ll to pact tor the next round of talks, rlo, xazmrr (nls name means "wamor

MhI#iini:;x#sxHi:r mal condition."

An un-normal condition made so in part

Hovsepian, who sits in the Barekamutian metro station and stares at the space where

by unsettled conflict.

his legs use to be before he left them on a Karabakh battlefield. His veteran's pay is the

the war, but was sent to Karabakh as a peace-

He is too young to have been a fighter in

with caution. No, there are no rallies at Opera Square calling for secession in the same place where the unity movement formed. Armenia taking back something that was once taken away hasn't happened since Tigran the Great, so reasonable pride is still the predominant attitude.

But while talks produce "no comments" abroad, there is private grumbling about the Karabakh burden in Armenian homes where honesty is a challenge to patriotism. While Diaspora still raises the fist of solidarity, many Armenians - the ones in Armenia - have grown weary of the perpetual problems caused by their unruly stepchild. Grown tired, these have, of results unrealized and of fruits of conquest long turned sour. Mothers who on "Victory Day" put flowers over the rotted bodies of sons sent to settle an issue they didn't raise, are impatient for a reason to say their sacrifice had meaning. Most I have met here (except soldiers) have neverbeen to Karabakh. Many say they'd never known about it until the war. The war. Armenians fought for Armenians, yes. But the war, too, from which the fallout falls

heavily on the allies

as on

the instigators.

Falls now during Yerevan spring while meetings in exotic Otherworlds raise hopes. Diplomats meet in Paris and new seeds of hope are planted. In Key West (of all places) and hope grows. In Washington. In Geneva.

mercy of passersby.

"Yesterday I was a hero," Razmik says. "And today the only thing I can do is beg. If there's a war again, no one will flght, because they see how those who once were heroes are

treated now."

And you, Diasporans, willing to throw

keeper. Too young, too, to be cynical. And too bright to be otherwise. "Many people in Armenia have become

tired of this Karabakh situation," Mika says. "They just want to live their lives." There are reasons to believe they might get that chance. Hope is pinned to June when the meetings start again. Or to September when

money at a cause as long as you don't have to

the Pope visits.

get too close to it: Follow the battlecry of "Ka-ra-bakh!l!" on your holidays to Martuni and worship the statue of Monte Melkonian. But follow your passion, too, up the hill from that shrine to graveyards barely marked of nameless children who might have been today's heroes but will never have the chance

Meetings in foreign places - government officers in capital cities and Armenian businessmen in New York - suggest movement. Tomorrow would not be a soon enough settlement for two peoples who have paid too much and whose leaders, so far, have concluded too

AIM MAY

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little.

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